From England to Hawaii
by The-British-Hellhound
Summary: Captain joey Robertson is assigned a mission to retrieve Commander Steve McGarrett and bring him back to England but due to their history, Joey does not do so. Instead, she finds herself a part of the 5-0 task force and working with her worst nightmare: Detective Danny Williams. *On Hold for a bit*


Caitlin Davidson Hawaii 5-0 Fanfiction: S1 E1- Hou 03/04/15

**Pilot: Hou**

_**Pohang, South Korea:**_

"Commander McGarrett has the prisoner secure. Over." The voice through the com crackled as the armoured vehicle made its way over numerous bumps and dusty roads. The four men -including the aforementioned prisoner- jostled around the small space as the driver took another sharp turn to avoid what was most likely another boulder. The dirt roads did not have many obstacles but the ones where they did, the obstacles were hard enough and large enough to stop a vehicle like the one McGarrett and his team were in.

The tallest and best armed of the group –McGarrett- kept his eyes forward on the prisoner, his hands tight around his machine gun. The prisoner smirked around the blood in his beard and pulled at the rope around his wrists. McGarrett kicked him the shin, a sign for the prisoner to stop moving, which he did.

He opened his mouth instead, "You know it's funny," McGarrett narrowed his eyes and pointed the gun at the Scottish prisoner's face. "You don't look Hawaiian." McGarrett let out a laugh along with his team and gave the prisoner his own smirk.

"You're going to tell us everything," was the Commander's reply.

"But you were born there, weren't you?" The prisoner refused to be quiet or at least, refused to give them any _helpful _information.

McGarrett persisted, "Every terrorist that you and Victor helped arm, every supplier you worked with," he took a breath, "all your trafficking associates and anyone you've ever sold weapons to." The prisoner did not look fazed, his eyes held boredom and his hands relaxed in their bindings. His smirk never left his face, not even when McGarrett's stern expression fell back into place.

"Chasing me and my brother around the world for five years, you're like a little doggy looking for a bone; did you not think we would do our homework on you? Or even on your friends across the world?" McGarrett's eyes widened and automatically reached for his phone hidden in one of the five pockets he had in his camo-trousers. He found it quickly and typed in a familiar number, the air caught in his throat in anticipation. After only three rings an English voice answered his call which allowed his breath to return and his heartrate returned to normal.

"Joey are you-?"

"You absolute arsehole! Do you think it's funny, stealing _my _prisoner? Huh? He is under England's custody and last time I checked, you were _not _English!" Joey was fine, in the physical sense at least but despite her obvious anger, the Commander could not stifle the smile that threatened his cheeks. Yet, that smile faded when he heard his team's laughter; Joey's voice must have been loud enough for them to hear. The Commander's eyes squeezed shut and he raised one of his hands to scratch the back of his neck. His apology was on the tip of his tongue but two short beeps in his ear told him that another call pended. Therefore, instead of apologising he told her, "I'll make it up to you later," hung up, checked the caller I.D and allowed the other call to follow through.

"Dad." McGarrett's greeting sounded like an accusation.

"Hey Champ." Champ? His father had never called him 'Champ'. McGarrett and the prisoner exchanged a glare before he enquired as to his father's health. "Who are these people Steve?" McGarrett heard the waver in his father's voice and he felt his chest clench. Victor had his father and he had Victor's brother, he easily predicted what the next few minutes entailed.

There were muffled scratching sounds before a deep, Scottish voice started to speak to him, "I now know where you get it from, you've got a tough old man here, Steve. Now, I'm willing to offer you a trade: my brother, for your father. All things considered, I think it is fair, don't you?" As Victor tried to bargain with Steve, the Commander scribbled on a small notepad, the phone tucked between his shoulder and his ear. The note read:

_Send Honolulu P.D to my father's house ASAP. _

He handed it to the man next to him and received a nod in return. Then the man proceeded to fish for his phone whilst Steve returned his attention to his own.

"You're smart enough to know that's not going to happen."

"I appreciate the compliment." Victor sounded desperate and vexed. Steve practically saw the veins pop out of his neck and the perspiration that dampened his shirt.

"You know the drill, we don't negotiate with terrorists."

"Oh, are we negotiating?" Steve sighed, it was bad enough he had to deal with one sassy Brit that day, he did not want to deal with another.

With his brow furrowed, Steve leant forward in his seat and informed Victor that he 'gets nothing'. On the other end of the line he could hear his father's pleas for the Scotsman to give him the phone, which Steve deeply hoped he would. Yet, it sounded like his father _was_ trying to negotiate with Victor which Steve made a mental note to reprimand him for. Huh, he never thought he had to 'reprimand' his father for anything. Throughout his entire life, his father had taught him the difference between good and bad and last time Steve checked, negotiating with terrorists was on the 'bad' side of things.

"Listen to me Champ," Steve's brow furrowed deeper, there it was again, "I'm sorry that I lied to you," cue Steve's deeper confusion, "I love you son and I didn't say it enough." The Commander knew exactly where that conversation was going but every attempt he used to dissuade his father from talking failed. "Whatever these people want Steve… Don't give it to them."

There was a thud on the other end of the receiver and Steve called for his dad not once, not twice but three times before Victor's furious voice exploded through the mic, "Enough games!"

"Hey," Steve's attention was turned away from his phone and Victor to the _other _Scotsman, "boom."

He barely had time to look confused before the armoured truck that lead the way flipped over and burst into flames. The cause of said explosion came from the roaring helicopter that decided to join the party. Bullets rained down on them as the vehicles stopped and the soldiers and officers used their own bullets against the attack. The helicopter took a few hits but after a few minutes it flew off in the direction it came without warning. However, they did leave three packages for Steve and his men to clean up, three dangerous and armed packages that had the same accents as Victor and his brother.

Steve sent a couple of hand signals at his men which they understood and continued to fire, that gave Steve his chance to move the prisoner to a safer place. If the prisoner died, not only did his father but Joey would have his head on a silver plate if he did not return him and he did not fancy dying that day. Thus, Steve shot at any man that tried to shoot at him and protected the prisoner with his own body. He heard his men dying, their grunts of pain echoed in his head but he pushed himself to keep moving, to keep them both moving.

Then, it all happened so fast, one minute the prisoner was in his grasp, safe from harm and the next minute he had run for a gun, pointed it at Steve and had been shot. By Steve. Once realisation hit the Commander, the only option for him was to curse and try to save the prisoner. He had to applaud himself, he was a good shot but it was unfortunate that he wasn't as good of a medic as he was a gunman. Yet, all he could think about was how Joey was going to murder him in his sleep if he did not save his –her- prisoner.

"C'mon Anton!" It was too late, the prisoner could no longer hear him and his pale eyes had glazed over. Steve did not have long to process that fact because his phone vibrated in his pocket milliseconds later. With hesitant hands and desperation on his face, he answered.

"Put Anton on the phone," With a glance at the body, Steve remained silent. "My brother's dead, isn't he? Isn't he?!" It was silent on both ends and Steve double checked his phone to make sure they had not lost connection. "Then so is your father." Horror overtook Steve's features and he called out to his father once again. As soon as the word 'dad' left his lips, the trigger had been pulled and the shot sounded through the receiver.

* * *

Frustration, was the key emotion Joey felt, there were other emotions such as anger, agitation and exhaustion but her frustration was the highest. There she stood, her hands clasped behind her back and her chin forward, legs shoulder width apart and dressed in her best uniform but she couldn't help the look of impatience that crossed her features as she stared at the old man, the old man who enjoyed being focussed on his cigarette instead of talking to her. His beard was trimmed immaculately and he was dressed in a similar uniform to her own but on his chest gleamed numerous medals and badges whereas hers shined with her three Captain badges and seven medals. His entire posture screamed superiority whereas she was sure hers screamed 'stubborn teenager'.

"Why am I here Major?" She ground out through clenched teeth.

"Captain Robertson, you are a brilliant officer –both in the field and off- so we need you to clean up the mess you have dropped on our door. Both you and a partner of your choosing will be going to Hawaii to retrieve Steve McGarrett and bring him back here for questioning." She took a deep breath and reminded herself that although it was only by one rank, he was her superior; 'Don't say anything Joey, don't be a smart-arse,' she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Once they opened again she spoke, "with all due respect Major, Commander McGarrett is not a part of our Military nor is he a threat to you in any way so that is _not _your call to make." She mentally reprimanded herself as her eyes locked with the man's over the desk, as irritated at the man's demands as she was, she knew better than to break form in front of an officer. The older man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; frustration was written all over his face which did nothing to calm her urge to storm out and never speak to him again like a petulant child. Once he released his nose he pushed a beige folder across the desk. She eyed the Major with caution before breaking her stance and reaching for the folder. Printed on the front was her name and file code: Joey D. Robertson MS09217. They only gave out personal files when the task was urgent and the receiver needed a reminder of their place in the Army. She grimaced and tucked the folder under her arm. She hated her file, it reminded her of how much her bosses knew about her, how vulnerable she was to their scrutiny and disapproval. Her Military career was what she took pride in and the knowledge that she had let Steve slip under her radar because he was a friend made her sick.

"These orders were sent from Colonel Moulton, Robertson. I was simply told to deliver them." She knew he enjoyed delivering those orders just as much as she hated receiving it. She nodded and was about to walk out when his voice stopped her, "The flight is at 7:00 pm tomorrow, do not be late." She looked over her shoulder and smirked, a plan already formed in her mind. They wanted her to clean up the mess, then that was what she intended to do.

"Tell the Colonel I'll have my partner chosen by the flight." She left swiftly after that and made her way back to her bunk-house to gather her things.

The smirk stayed in place but she didn't notice. Only when she glimpsed her reflection in her bathroom mirror did she drop the smirk from her pale face. Her blue eyes behind the black rimmed glasses matched one of the badges clipped to her chest which reminded her to change out of her uniform into something more suitable for civilian travel: black jeans with a few faded marks and tears due to their age, a red muscle-tee which had surprisingly remained in good condition, leather vest and combat boots which both smelt like new leather despite their worn out states. Lastly, she gripped the elastic in her hair and pulled, her dark locks fell past her shoulders and added to her intimidating look.

She flicked the light switch before she grabbed her duffle bags and locked the door. 'Hawaii, here I come.'

* * *

"Evening, I'm looking for Agent Kanani." Joey flashed her badge at the tired, pointed nosed man and he buzzed her through, the metal barriers opened soundlessly. She gave him a quick nod before she made her way through the bustling policemen and women. Each person she passed had stern expressions on their face which made her chuckle; it was the equivalent of a more hectic Army Base.

Her footsteps were controlled and her eyes looked dead ahead. She walked down the halls as though she had walked them numerous times and she felt slightly nostalgic as she passed familiar rooms but most of the faces were unrecognisable. The lighting had finally been fixed and the floors were no longer hard wood but a navy coloured carpet in their place. She preferred it, there was less noise from receptionist's heels. After a few corners and a near collision, Joey made it to her destination. The grey door she stood in front of had a gold plaque carefully screwed to it and it was newly polished.

_Agent A. Kanani Office._

She chuckled to herself; seven years ago, if she had told herself that she would be stood outside of _Agent _Kanani's office then she would have laughed and sent herself to a mental institution. Her chest filled with pride as she knocked on the door two times. She heard a squeak and the rustle of papers. It only took a few seconds before a short blonde opened the door. She did not wear a Police uniform like her co-workers, rather a simple black skirt and knee-high tights with what looked like cat faces at the top. Joey raised an eyebrow behind her glasses, she had not changed in the slightest. Her top was a simple white-t-shirt with 'GEEK' written in bold letters which Joey thought was appropriate. The heels that clad her feet did nothing to make the shorter woman noticeably closer to being Joey's height.

The blonde looked up to face her visitor and her forest green eyes widened and sparkled.

"Hey look, it's my favourite techno-geek!"

"Holy- Joey?!" The taller of the two nodded and the blonde swung her arms around her friend's waist. Joey smiled, it was good to see her again. She told her so and was abruptly dragged into the large office. Approval swam over Joey's features as she noticed the vintage décor and large windows which lead to a view of multiple sky-rises. However, the sharp smell of perfume made her scrunch up her nose. It always intrigued her that the smell of gunpowder and rain was more pleasant to her than sharp perfume.

"Right," Anela perched herself on the desk, more papers fell to the floor, "What are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you were leaving to go to South Korea. 'Top secret' you said." Joey shrugged and surveyed a rather large plant which withered at the tips, trust Anela to not look after her plants.

"Can't I visit my best friend at work?" Anela raised an eyebrow as the curly haired woman proceeded to do a lap of her office. After she picked up and put back down random objects Joey stood in front of Anela with a sigh and a tired look on her face.

"I need your help." Anela sat straighter and her brow furrowed. Joey rubbed her knuckles against her palm –an action she performed when she was weary or nervous- and glanced to Anela's maroon laptop sat open on the desk. The artificial light illuminated the cheap office chair and the many dust particles that swarmed the air. She counted a few of the particles then returned her attention back to the waiting woman with hesitation.

"My commanding officer is sending me to… _help_ an old friend in Hawaii and told me I could chose who can accompany me on this 'mission'," she used her fingers as air-quotes on the word 'mission' with a scoff. "It's probably going to be difficult, it is _definitely _going to be dangerous and there will most likely be attractive men. You in?" Joey smirked as her friend's face changed from surprised to intrigued to excited in a matter of seconds. Anela didn't voice her answer but gathered her laptop in her arms, grabbed her very large handbag then nodded at the door. Joey barked out a laugh and linked her arm with Anela's. Despite her happy exterior, Joey's insides felt like porridge and her heartrate was higher than normal. In her 26 years of living, Joey had never felt as guilty about lying as she had at that moment. She did not enjoy lying to Anela but the less her friend knew, the better; she hoped that secrecy would last.

They talked about everything and anything that had happened since they saw each other last, which was roughly 7 months past. The crowd of people seemed to have thickened which caused Joey's joyful expression to change instantaneously. With her grip tight on Anela's arm she dragged them both through the irritatingly stubborn crowd. Not stopping her speed-walk, Joey flashed the receptionist her badge once again and made her way out of the building. Once safely outside she straightened out her ruffled clothes and hair before she nodded to Anela, reassurance of her friend's safety and her own.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate crowds?" Anela chuckled, patted her on the shoulder and walked toward a sleek black Audi S5 parked on the corner. The street was surprisingly less busy than inside the building, only a few shoppers and tourists roamed those parts of London at –Joey checked her watch- 6:20PM. Joey followed Anela toward the car, her hair covered her face as a particularly strong gust of wind blew over her. Irritation swiftly overcame her features. She _hated_ her hair down.

Anela already sat herself in the car and left the door open, the leather seats visible from where Joey stood. The LED lights which lined the ceiling were turned on to an orange glow and it made the vehicle less intimidating. Joey slid herself inside next to Anela, her hand held her hair away from her face. She had no idea why she kept her hair as long as she did, it just got in the way but she could never get rid of it so instead of using her pocket knife to slice it off, she used the elastic around her wrist to tie it away from her face, a different style than her previous uniformed bun.

"So, an Agent huh?" Joey started as she shut the door and nodded at the driver to go. Anela laughed and relaxed in the seat, pulling her feet up underneath her.

"Once you left-"

"Once I was _repositioned._"

"The company thought that I should be promoted to Agent. I didn't question them and it pays better than my last job. I'm no Weapons Specialist for the British Military though." Joey's face turned a rosy shade of pink and shrugged off Anela's comment then focused her attention on the view outside the window. However, Anela did not let the car ride become silent. "What _exactly _are we doing going to Hawaii?"

"I told you, to help one of the Colonel's old friends." Anela gave her a pointed look, Joey knew she could not get away with withholding vital information any longer. With a sigh she continued, "Recently, there has been a string of murders and terrorist attacks which were being pulled off by two brothers: Victor and Anton Hess. A man -Commander Steve McGarrett- found them and attempted to stop them but," She paused to shake her head then continued, "he killed the prisoner he had in custody and the other brother got away. Now, because they were supposed to be under the jurisdiction of the British government, they want me to find McGarrett and clean up the mess he created," She finished with a neutral expression on her face. Despite their close friendship, Joey did not feel the need to disclose the fact that her and Steve were also close friends –practically brother and sister- and that it killed her to have to pull off that mission.

Anela hummed, agreement fell off her tongue and Joey felt grateful that she did not ask any more questions.

* * *

_**USAF C-17 Victory, O'ahu, Hawaii:**_

The waters were clearer than he remembered, the island seemed bigger and the plants seemed greener. He supposed that was the side-effect of being away for five years. His stomach twisted in knots and for the first time in a long time, his nerves crept in. He gazed out of the window for a bit longer before he felt the plane land in the water and drive up to the dock.

"How long has it been since you've been home?" the pilot inquired as he handed him his two duffle bags.

"It's been a while." He made his way onto the dock and stared at the water.

Boats dotted the water with white, some of them fishermen's boats, others were filled with tourists drinking and having a good time. Their merriment did nothing to bring Steve his own as the past few days played over in his mind. His father was murdered, his father's _killer _was alive and in the wind and he had not contacted anyone since. He knew that both the British and the Korean governments had been informed of the situation but he did not have the guts to call any of his friends and explain it himself. He did not want to have to deal with their sympathies as well as the sympathies of his own government. His phone practically burned a hole in his pocket so, earlier that day he decided he no longer needed one and threw it at the nearest brick wall. His internal sadness was interrupted by the clicking of heels and the smell of the saltwater was washed away by the smell of apples which made his nose scrunch up as the sour smell hit him. He turned his back on the blue ocean and faced the person who had called him home: Governor Jameson. She was tall, she nearly reached his height of 6'3, and her hair was blonde but greyed at the edges which matched her age lines across her eyes and hands which led Steve to believe she was in her mid-fifties. Her outfit –although professional- screamed 'island-worker' because her pencil-skirt and blazer were black but her lilac shirt was untucked and the top two buttons were undone.

"Commander." He shook her hand and noticed how her grip held authority over his despite their obvious size difference. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I am so sorry about your loss." Steve mentally sighed and rolled his eyes. Another sympathy was not what he needed, he needed information and a means to get that information.

"Is this about the investigation?"

"We have officers searching all across the island and-"

"You won't find Victor Hess with road blocks and search warrants. He's gone underground until he can find a safe way to leave the island. Now, why am I here?" He was exhausted with being polite and professional, ever since he was rescued from Korea with only one member of his team, he had been spoken to by all the high-ups in his division and he was sick and tired of dealing with that as well as Victor Hess' disappearance.

"I would like to help you obtain what you are looking for. Your father's death was a wakeup call to me and every law enforcement agency in Hawaii which is why I'm putting together a task force and I want you to run it." He wanted to laugh, she didn't even know him and she wanted him to run a special task force? If that was not the height of trust and _stupidity _he did not know what was. He gave her a calculating side-glance as they continued to walk past the Pearl Harbour museum and down to the other end of the dock.

"I know your resume," it was though she had read his mind, "Minneapolis, five years Naval Intelligence, six years with the S.E.A.L.S, your superiors say that you are the best they have ever seen-"

"Let me stop you right there," Steve interrupted. He did not need a running commentary on his past achievements and old reviews. He knew why he was chosen but whether he was mentally ready to run a task force and look for Hess as well, was a debated subject. "I've been tracking Victor Hess for five years, if he was bold enough to surface I _promise_ you he already has an exit strategy and, he knows I know it which means I can barely afford the hour it is going to take to bury my father, let alone stand here talking to you." He placed his uniformed hat on his head with a neutral expression and excused himself, walked away as he did so. The Governor's eyes followed his movement with a dumbfounded expression. Her expression then turned resolute.

"I can help you find this son-of-a-bitch." Steve stopped in his tracks, straightened his shoulders. "With full immunity and means. Your task force can hold authority and go after guys like Hess and get them the hell off my island." She walked over to him, his back no longer faced her but instead his contemplative face was. She continued, "Your rules, my backing, no red tape. I promise you, what you see with me is what you get." As tempting as the offer sounded Steve did not buy it.

"Here's what I see," his neutral expression had fallen only to be replaced with frustration, "an election year coming up and the Politician needs the PR, who is willing to do whatever it takes including, bringing me down here to Pearl Harbour where my grandfather was killed so I might feel," he paused and glanced at the ship, "some sort of obligation to carry on my family's destiny. Is that about right Governor? Pass." He mentally applauded himself and made a note to thank Joey –if he ever spoke to her again- for that random lesson on everything she knew about politics and politicians. The Governor's expression turned disappointed but instead of trying to convince him more, she handed him per private number, stared at him for a moment and walked back the way they came. He watched her leave, the click of her heels added to the growing headache he had acquired.

"She's a smart lady that one." Steve's head nearly did a three-sixty when the voice sounded behind him. "Steve McGarrett, right?" Stood behind him was a local, his hair curly and his cheek bones and jaw sharp enough to cut glass. He looked familiar but Steve's eyes kept flying to the bright blue polo-shirt that adorned the man's torso so he could not focus on remembering.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He was near the end of his tether and he really did not want to have to make any more polite conversation. The local made his way over to where the Commander stood and smirked at him.

"Well you better; Chin Ho Kelly," the local introduced himself and Steve felt a smile spread across his face, the first one in days. Chin Ho Kelly, he was one of the seniors from Kahuhi High school, Steve's old school. Steve remembered him as one of the greatest quarterbacks to leave the school; he also remembered beating every single one of his records.

"I heard you became a cop," Steve commented as he shook hands with Chin.

"I worked with your father in 'Seven', he taught me everything I know about wearing a badge." Steve mulled over his next words, he could not just out-right ask Chin how he went from being a cop to a low-wage security guard for a souvenir store.

"It seems you've moved on to greener pastures." He smiled warmly at Chin, his hand clapped on his shoulder in a gesture that he joked. Chin smiled back but then swiftly turned his attention to the wooden floor.

"Let's just say the Honolulu Police Department and I had a disagreement over my job description." His words were sour but the small smile on his face allowed Steve to believe it wasn't him that Chin was mad at.

He felt sympathy for the older man, he could see the betrayal in his eyes and Steve could not help but wonder if that was what Joey's eyes would look like if she saw him. The thought made his heart clench but he reminded himself that he would most likely never talk to the hot-headed Weapons Specialist again.

Chin continued to speak, "But your father understood, he was very good to me after I was let go. He stayed my friend and I know that cost him; I only wish there was some way I could pay him back." Steve could practically see the cogs turning in the older man's head. "But now that you're here, maybe you could do something." Steve was not sure he was going to like where the conversation was headed.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard the Chief of Police put a Hoale on your father's murder investigation." That certainly gained Steve's undivided attention. "The word is, he's fresh meat from the Mainland which means he has no _clue _how this island works."

* * *

A loud groan and a thud emanated next to Anela and she had to laugh at her friend's state. The brunette's face was flat to the counter and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Anela imagined the ring on her middle finger must have left painful dents. Joey lifted her head from the white marble and stared at the receptionist with a calculated look. Anela felt a pang of empathy as the receptionist –Clara according to her nametag- stepped backwards.

"Okay, mate, I'm going to make this very easy on you and tell you that our room number is 1704 and that a man by the name of Major Timothy Wicket called and told _your_ manager that we would be checking in at twelve noon. It is," Joey glanced at the clock behind the mildly terrified receptionist, "ten past twelve which means I have been standing here for ten minutes arguing with you!" Clara let out an undignified yelp and was about to pick of the phone to call security when Anela stepped forward with a calm and approachable expression. Clara instantly calmed when the blonde stepped in front of Joey and flashed her a smile.

"Hi, look, we need that room and I know for a fact that the Major my companion mentioned did call, so could you please check the register again?" Clara timidly nodded and worked her fingers against the keyboard. With a sheepish smile she turned, shuffled through the drawers beneath the desk and produced two key cards.

"Are you jok-!"

"Thank you Clara." Anela took the cards from the woman's hand with a smile. She then turned to Joey with the same smile and handed her one of the key-cards. Joey did not reciprocate the smile but lifted her duffle bags from the floor and followed Anela and her gold suitcase to the lift. The Hilton was the best hotel on the island and Joey marvelled at the expensive, gold-lined interior of the lift. The floor was reflective and she spent the entire ride to the seventeenth floor staring at her own reflection.

Once the lift reached their floor, the made their way down a cream carpeted hallway to room 1704 which was luckily not too far from both the stairs and the lift. Anela opened the door and walked through first, her heels met marble floors as she explored the hotel room. To the left was a small coffee/tea station which Joey made a bee-line for. Directly in front the drinks station was the door to the bathroom. Inside was a porcelain toilet, matching bath tub behind the door and on the opposite side of the room was a glass shower with a rail of fluffy towels next to it. There was one counter with a porcelain sink next to it. With a shrug, Anela left the bathroom, passed Joey who enjoyed a cup of tea and over to the main room which had two double beds against the wall. They were covered in standard tropical colours and large pillows. Lastly, there was a single television in front of the beds and a desk directly next to it.

"Hey Joey?" Joey hummed from her leaning position against the wall. "Should we leave our stuff here and head out to find this McGarrett guy?" The Brit nodded, finished her tea and plonked her duffle bags on the bed nearest the door. That was a habit that she had acquired whilst training in the Army, she needed to be nearest the door for protection of both herself and her team. Anela was less fussy when it came to sleeping arrangements, as long as she had a double bed she was happy.

Joey proceeded to rummage through the smaller duffle bag which was filled with multiple guns, ammo and cartridges. Anela chose not to notice, her eyes and hands busied on setting up her laptop. Joey's hands ghosted over the guns and a smile made its way onto her face as she gripped the handle of her favourite gun: a newly polished Beretta M9. She offered Anela one of her smaller weapons but with wide eyes her friend shook her head. Joey shrugged and zipped the duffle closed then kicked it under her bed.

"Ready?" Anela asked as she walked toward the door. Joey nodded and clipped her gun into her hip-holster and made sure her pocket knife was still in her boot. They made their way out of the room and back to the lift. Luckily, there was nobody in the corridors because Anela was not sure how Joey was supposed to explain her gun without a badge. Joey noticed the nervous lines on her friend's face and gave her arm a comforting squeeze.

"It's fine A, this is not my first time." With a wink, Joey made her way out of the lift and into the lobby. She pulled at her top which was long enough to cover her gun, she then lazily slipped her hands into her front pockets which allowed her forearm to hide the firearm. Anela bit her nail in anticipation as they strolled through the throngs of people and out the glass doors. There was a cab stand a few inches away from the front steps which the women took advantage of.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

With a smirk, Joey answered, "Honolulu Police Department."

* * *

_**3**__** Hours Later:**_

The house was exactly how he remembered it, large, white and with a wide porch which was surrounded by different, tropical trees. The only thing that never adorned his house was the daunting yellow police-tape that cut off any access to his own front door. Steve rolled his eyes and slipped under the tape, his patience wore thin by the mild restrictions. He made his way inside with ease due to the door being conveniently unlocked. Once inside, he flicked on the nearest light switch but wished he hadn't. On the far wall was a splatter of deep red blood which he knew belonged to his father. He longed for it to be Hess' and shook away the reminder of his father's passing. He also tried to shake away the memories of the funeral he had to attend only hours before.

His eyes filled with tears but he pushed them away stubbornly and knelt next to a boot print made from his father's blood that was marked into the floorboards. With a scowl on his face he placed his own boot next to the print, took out his phone and snapped a photo. He did not stop there, he made his way over to his father's office, the desk cluttered with numerous files, pens and books. Steve planted himself down on the old, wooden chair that his father loved and hovered his hands over the edge of the desk. With confusion etched onto his face, he stood and walked over to where a line of car models were situated. Triumphantly Steve retrieved a tube called 'wheel lube' and carried it back over to the desk. A few squirts were applied to the edge of the desk and he once again took out his phone and snapped a picture. However, that time it was faint fingerprint that starred in the shot.

Steve –forever the professional soldier- made his way over to the garage door and stepped through; he did not dwell in one place for too long. It was surprisingly warmer than the main part of the house but Steve supposed it was because that was where his father spent most of his time: trying to build an old car. The aforementioned car was hidden under a dingy tarp which Steve happily removed. The car was as sleek as when Steve saw it last and the black and silver complimented each other. Yet, that did not bring a smile to his face, only more tears and anger.

He forced his wet eyes away from the car and turned his back on the garage door. His eyes caught something else of interest, something that may or may have not been the answer to all his problems. Sat, with black paint smudged on the edges was a fire-truck red toolbox. The word, 'CHAMP' was stuck to the front of it. Why had that word seemed so familiar?

"_Listen to me champ." _The words his father spoke to him through the phone echoed through his mind. Faster than light Steve opened the tool box and swiped at the first object he could see. He pulled out a brass key first, placed it back in the box almost immediately. Next, was a tape recorder which Steve quickly turned on.

His father's voice streamed out of the recorder, "I can't continue this investigation on the police department from the inside. I don't trust the people I work with so I'm going to have to do this on my own. It's all about the key," Steve admitted that sounded a little cliché. "I just don't know what it's for-" A thud interrupted Steve's concentration which caused him to switch the recorder off instantly. His eyes darted to the garage door and he placed the recorder back into the tool box and shut the lid quietly.

A pair of blue eyes and blonde hair came into view before anything else and Steve already had his gun drawn. As the other person made their way around the car and fully into view Steve saw the man also had his gun drawn.

"You! Hands up, don't move!" The man was definitely a Hoale, the shirt, slacks and strong American accent proved that.

"Who are you?" Steve demanded. The stranger demanded the same thing.

"I am Detective Danny Williams-"

"Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett-"

"Put your weapon down right now!" Danny might have been the one to yell but once Steve stepped forward, the shorter man took a step back. However, neither of their guns were put down, nor were their glares. Danny then demanded for his I.D which made Steve chuckle as _Danny _was the one trespassing on _his_ house. Steve then politely informed the man that he was 'not going to put is gun down'. With a sigh, the Detective informed him of the same thing.

"Use your free hand and take out your I.D."

"Please, after you." Steve wanted to throw something heavy at the man but he had to admit, Danny Williams reminded him a lot of Joey, a blonder, more American Joey that was weary of him. They were both witty but Steve knew that Detective Williams' could never replace his best-friend's dry humour.

"At the same time?" Steve compromised. Danny looked at him like he had grown three heads and Steve nodded his affirmation.

"What, like on the count of three?" He moved his shoulders and arms as he spoke which allowed Steve to learn that he spoke more with body language than he did with words. Huh, another aspect like Joey. Maybe he could set those two up on a blind date and see who would _kill _the other first, which would probably have been Joey. As funny as he thought his idea was, he felt a pang of guilt when he pictured Joey's face. The last time he had spoken to her she ranted about a prisoner that _he _had killed. Plus, he never bothered to call her to explain the situation.

"Yeah on the count of three." He brought himself back to the situation. With a purse of his lips, Danny released his gun with one hand started to count. "Two." They both reached for their pockets at the same time. "Three." Both I.D's were shown simultaneously, the pieces of plastic and metal proved that both men told the truth.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about your father but you can't be here right now." It was official, Steve disliked him. When he thought he had finally gotten away from the condolences there stood Danny Williams, a man who tried to make his day worse. "This is an active crime scene." It didn't seem that active to Steve. He kept his eyes trained on Danny, tucked the CHAMP box under his arm and waited for Danny's next move. "I can't share any information with you." The blonde stepped forward, his initial fear worn off.

"Hess wasn't here alone when my father was murdered, someone was sitting at the desk in the study. There was a space clear for a thirteen inch laptop and my father hated computers."

Danny looked impressed, impressed and shocked, he opened his mouth a few times before syllables finally came out, "I'm going to ask you again, please leave." He gestured to the door behind him which caused Steve to raise an eyebrow and he scoffed. After a few seconds of contemplation, he secured the toolbox under his arm and strolled pass the Detective.

"And you can leave the box. That is evidence, you know that," the Detective did not sound happy, if anything he sounded frustrated. Steve looked over his shoulder and told Danny, "I came with this." Unfortunately, Danny –being a Detective- knew he was lying. "Leave the box or get arrested." Steve's brows flew to his hairline and with a thoughtful expression on his face he placed the box on the hood of the car.

However, just as Danny thanked him, Steve pulled out his phone and a small card, then dialled. Danny started to look weary once more as Steve placed the phone against his ear and waited.

"Hi, yeah, Governor Jameson please. Tell her it's Steve McGarrett, thanks." With a click on his phone he turned it to speaker so the Detective could hear. Said Detective had his hands on hips and a frown on his face which Steve was sure was a permanent feature. "Governor," he switched off the speaker phone, "I'll take the job… Well let's just say I found something that changed my mind… Immediately… I'll transfer to the reserves and I'll run your task force." Danny stood straighter and his jaw hung open. Steve didn't pay attention to him, rather the suggestion the Governor had given him. "Right now? Okay," he lifted his right hand to chest level and recited the police oath with his back turned to Danny. Danny's face –if Steve had seen it- was the epitome of disbelief. After Steve had finished the oath, he hung up the phone, picked up the toolbox and turned to face Danny with a smug look.

"Now it's my crime scene."

An hour later, the cab pulled up outside a grey building which looked like it needed more than just a paint job. Steve scrunched his nose up in distaste, hopped out the cab and paid the cabbie. He walked up a flight of rusted stairs until he reached the room he needed. With three hard knocks on the cracked wood he waited. The door creaked open to reveal Danny, the scruff on his face more prominent in the dull light than in his father's garage. The blonde looked at Steve as though he had never seen him before then it was as if a veil had lifted and the emotion of 'annoyed' took over.

"I swung by your precinct and spoke to your Captain, he said you requested a wire to be put on someone called Fred Doran. Tell me about him," Steve demanded as he made his way into the small, dusty room. There was a singular bed –more like sofa- , a nightstand and a door which he assumed led to a bathroom. He did not want to be anywhere near that part of the flat.

"Look, what do you want?" Danny sounded tired.

Steve was about to answer when Danny's phone went off. The Chief of Police's voice sounded down the phone and Steve listened with half an ear. The Chief had caught wind of a man who was a suspected arms dealer, who spent two years in Maui Correctional and was a person of interest in an unrelated homicide to the McGarrett murder. That sounded exactly like Fred Doran. He hung up after he told the Chief he would take the case.

"What was that about?" Steve was curious.

"That was the Chief of Police, he has an idea of where Doran might be and wants me to check it out. You're welcome to tag along just don't get in my way." Danny rolled up his sleeves and pushed his hair back. Steve gave him a once over and he had to stifle a laugh; the man wore a tie, in _Hawaii_, his day got a lot more amusing.

"What about if you get in _my _way?"

"Look, if you're just going to call the Governor again, leave me out of it alright. You want the case? Have it." Danny sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for the taller man to leave.

"The Captain said you transferred in from New Jersey six months ago," Danny scrubbed a hand over his face, "so your eye is still fresh and I need that for both this case and my father's case which seem to be connected."

"I appreciate that but my psych evaluation is not for another six weeks." Danny's hands made their way into the pocket of his slacks as he watched the Commander's eyes search the room. Steve's stare locked on a picture of a young girl on Danny's nightstand who he guessed to be his daughter.

"Fold out bed, no ring on your finger, you obviously moved here to be close to your daughter." Danny laughed mockingly and stood from the bed. "Which means, in between visits all you have is your job and you take pride in it. The Governor gave me jurisdiction, you've got no choice Detective; you're my new partner." Danny did not think it was possible to hate someone as much as he did Steve McGarrett at that moment. However, he followed the Navy Seal out of the door and to where his own car was parked. Steve let out a low whistle as the silver Mustang came into view. New Jersey had done him good, it was unfortunate that it didn't do him _great _or he would have lived in a place that did not smell like rotted wood.

"So, where is Doran?" Steve inquired as he settled himself into the passenger seat.

"He was sighted on a beach near the North Shore." Danny started the car and sped out of the carpark.

* * *

The cab was silent for a few seconds before Joey heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. She answered and impatiently listened to the voice on the other end. She raised an eyebrow as the information was filtered through her phone and she proceeded to question 'how the hell they knew that from across the Atlantic Ocean' for which she received a "never mind" and a dead line. She stared at her phone for a moment before she tapped the driver on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He nodded and brought the vehicle to a stop. Anela jolted forward, her hands braced in front of her. As the cab came to a complete halt Joey opened her door, and checked that her Beretta M9 was secured in her hip holster and swapped her glasses for a pair of sunglasses.

"Apparently our jobs are starting early. I need you to wait behind those trees; I have a man to shoot."

"What trees?" It amused Joey how Anela did not question the objective of the job but about the trees. Joey pointed at a small cluster of trees roughly ten metres away and slammed the door closed. Anela followed suit and stepped gracefully out of the cab. Joey tapped the hood and watched the cab as it sped off down the road.

Her eyes scanned the area: multiple tourists, food vans and a large expanse of grass. She walked onto the grass, her hand hovered over her gun as she heard Anela walk quickly over to the trees; it was typical of Anela to get out of the firing range which meant being as far away from Joey as possible. Her eyes flitted over each face and checked for the description of dark skin, afro and gang tattoos. Accorded to Major Wicket, the man who also hunted Steve had arrived on the island earlier that day and planned to scout out the area and it was her job to hunt him before he reached Steve. She could not help but feel like a glorified bodyguard. After her third sweep of her surroundings a dark figure caught her attention. Everything about the figure matched the description and she made a mental note to 'thank' him for having his tattoos in visible places.

Her gun was drawn out in front of her in a matter of seconds, the safety switched off. The man looked like he was having a serious,_ important_ conversation on his phone, she was glad it was her job to change that.

Danny parked the car behind a cluster of trees where a local dressed in maroon, black and white stood and watched the grassland. Steve's eyes lingered on her for a moment too long; she had blonde hair that the sunlight caught perfectly, her skin was smooth and the colour of caramel, her eyes were covered by sunglasses but he knew they would be beautiful and despite her lack of height, her legs looked amazing in her skirt. A punch in the shoulder from Danny brought him back to Earth. They made their way to the centre of the grassland, eyed everyone in their vicinity for any suspicious activity. Steve stood taller as Danny scanned the area behind him. That was when Steve's eyes locked on a man who spoke furiously into his phone which would seem normal if not for the Bren Ten pistol hooked in his jeans. Steve nudged Danny with his elbow, pointed to where the suspicious man was and motioned for them to go either side of him. However, it seemed that Danny and Steve had different ideas on who the suspicious person was.

Joey had the shot lined up perfectly, one eye closed to get her bullet on point. She aimed at his thigh, her goal to stall, not kill. Her trigger finger itched and just as she was about to interrupt his conversation she heard a voice yell out, "Hey, put down your weapon!"

She felt someone's arm wrap around her mid-section and throw her to the floor; her gun flew out of her hand. The wind rushed out of her upon impact. The smell of cologne and cinnamon filled her nostrils and before she could turn to see what had happened, something cold and metallic slipped around her wrists. Her eyes widened and she wiggled under her captive's hold as the handcuffs clicked shut.

"What the _hell _do you think you are doing, you dick?" her accent sounded strong and annoyed. She craned her neck to try and see who her attacker was. She was met with slicked back blonde hair which looked soft despite the obvious product ran through it. She surfed his features carefully and found thin but kissable lips, bright blue eyes, stubble that covered a curved jaw and a torso that begged to be let out of the white shirt he wore and- was that a tie? Her attacker wore a tie in Hawaii, why not let Bobo the Clown tackle her? She stifled a laugh and noticed that the blonde called for someone. She quickly shimmied her hands in the cuffs, wincing now and then when her skin caught against the metal. Her fingers curled on top of one of the screws that held the cuffs together and she smirked to herself as she applied just the right amount of pressure… Click.

The muscular blonde turned to face her and opened his mouth but before he could utter a word, she wrapped her legs around his toned waist, grabbed his CZ 99 from his holster and laid him flat against the grass with her hand braced on his chest. He made to move his hands but she promptly pointed the gun in his face. She glared at him and his eyes widened, shock and confusion swam in them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" She rolled her eyes, an American, one of the reasons she did not want the job. He held his hands up in surrender and she ran her eyes over his upper-half; she had to admit he looked good between her legs. She did not allow that thought to show on her face but instead pressed her hand harder into his chest.

"Why did you tackle me?" she growled out. He looked slowly between the gun, the broken handcuff that dangled from her left wrist and her face, completely stunned. He finally registered that she had spoken and she could practically see the sweat that ran down his neck as he tried to come up with an answer that would not get him shot.

"I tackled you because you were pointing a gun at someone! Kind of like you are doing now. That therefore makes you a suspect in a recent murder." At that point she wanted to shoot him in the face for being an idiot. She hoped he was insured because if another stupid comment flew out of his mouth she planned on putting a bullet in his skull. She had not been on the island twenty-four hours and she had ran into trouble. She continued to glare at him and processed how she was going to find Steve's hunter when a third party cleared their throat behind her.

Joey had two options at that point: aim the gun at the person behind her and risk her captive flipping her over and shooting her or keep the gun pointed at him which risked the other person blind-siding her.

"Okay Danny, what happened? Why did you tackle…?" Steve trailed off as he recognised the head of curls and gun stance. His eyes widened and his hand found his way over his eyes. Danny noticed his partner's strange behaviour and sent him a confused look.

"Captain Joey Robertson, Royal British Army," she told them, "and you are?" The gun pressed into Danny's cheek. He gulped and kept incredibly still. She felt his eyes trail over her and she resisted a blush. Just because the man was attractive did not mean she needed to derail from getting answers out of them.

A hand grabbed each of her wrists and they moved her hands away from the man beneath her which she struggled against but kept her eyes trained on him. The unknown party kept his hold and helped her climb off of his partner. He undid the handcuff attached to her wrist and pocketed them in his jeans. Joey then bent down and picked up her fallen gun, holstered it back in place; she kept a hold on the American's gun, her eyes permanently trained on him.

She finally faced Steve and her eyes widened just as his shifted to the ground. That expression soon faded as Joey's eyes turned to slits and she stomped the couple of steps between them. He stepped backwards but Joey did not give up. Her expression screamed murder and Steve was quite fond of his life. He thanked whatever God was out there that the local he had admired earlier pulled Joey back.

"Joey, what are you doing?" Anela asked and she stood next to her friend. Picking fights was not an uncommon act for Joey but it felt different than usual. Joey continued to glare at Steve as though he were the one that tackled her. Steve gave her an apologetic glance but Joey's face stayed as hard as stone.

"Anela Kanani, meet Steve McGarrett." She spoke his name with such venom. With realisation, Anela shook his hand slowly, her brow furrowed. "Anela is my partner and a great technical analyser." Steve felt like that was a subtle threat to his privacy and his secrets. Anela ignored the compliment and whispered a question on both her and Danny's mind: "What did Steve do that's got you so upset?" Steve made a move to approach Joey but she glared at him which stopped him in his tracks.

"Look Joey-"

"No. You didn't call me after you kill _my _prisoner. You don't tell me that you are alright after you get ambushed? Did you think I wouldn't find out about John?" Her face was one of disappointment and pain as she watched guilt cross the Commander's face. She hated to see him upset but he had left her in the dark for too long. She should have been at the funeral, she should have been there to comfort him when he got back but could she? No, because the oaf did not see it fit to contact her. Both Anela and Danny shared a confused look before they returned their attention back to their Military partners.

"I'm sorry, Jo." Steve made his way calmly over to Joey and wrapped his arms around her toned back in a hug. Her arms made their way around his waist and they spent a few seconds like that, happy to see one another again. Once Joey pulled back -not completely comfortable with public displays of affection- Steve inquired, "What are you doing in Hawaii, I thought you were in England for some recon?" Joey shrugged and Anela realised that she did not want to inform the attractive man of the situation.

"Steve, the British Army want you for questioning," Joey sent her a glare, "they sent Joey here to retrieve you and she was about to shoot someone else who is looking for you." Steve's eyes bore into Joey's, his hazel orbs begged her to tell him that was not true. She shrugged and folded her arms across her chest. He glimpsed saw a small glimmer in her eyes and he remembered their first mission together where she disregarded near enough every order that was given to her. She did not go to Hawaii to take him to England, she went there to warn him. A smirk made its way onto his lips which drew Anela's eyes to them immediately. Joey nudged her side with her own smirk and then turned with a raised eyebrow to Danny who looked at both females with a lack of trust.

"Captain Joey Robertson, Anela, this is Detective Danny Williams." Steve introduced and before Danny could shake her hand, Joey handed his gun back to him with a nod of approval.

"That's a good gun, a CZ 99, 9 BY 19mm Parabellum made in Yugoslavia between 1987 and 1990. However, it's not as good as the Beretta U22 .22 Long Rifle made in Italy in the 2000's." Danny and Anela stared at her dumbfounded, their eyes blinked owlishly. Anela knew her friend was intelligent when weapons were involved but _that_ was impressive. Joey shrugged as if it were water off a ducks back and smiled at them smugly whilst Steve stood next to her like a proud father. Danny opened his mouth a few times at an attempt to convey his awe but no sound flittered from his mouth. "Have you never seen a weapons specialist before?" Danny's eyes widened and he moved his eyes from her to Steve; one Military nut was enough, he did not need two. Joey scratched the back of her neck and shrugged again. Weapons were the one thing she knew best, she trusted them and once she did the research, she could dismantle and repair each one of them. That was the reason the Military promoted her as quickly as they did. She mentally chuckled, she bet they regretted that every day.

There was a second of awkward silence before a large grin covered Steve's face. Everyone thought his face would split in two. Danny eyed his partner wearily and slipped his hands in his pockets. Joey did the same and Anela took a step backward as though he were a savage animal and any sudden movements would provoke him.

"I have just had the best idea!"

"Please tell me it involves food because I am starving," Joey commented as she gripped her abdomen. Steve rolled his eyes and gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"No," Joey pouted, "you two are now working with us." Her pout turned into an expression of, 'what-the-hell?' However, whatever that meant, Joey was up for it due to the red hue Danny's face had become.

"Woah, are you serious? We don't even know if she is allowed to be an American law enforcer." Joey narrowed her eyes at the Detective which caused him to give her a sickly-sweet smile. Steve patted Danny on the shoulder and smirked.

"Immunity and means, remember?" Danny sighed. He wondered what ran through the Governor's head when she gave _Steve McGarrett _immunity and means. Steve ignored the down-trodden look on Danny's face and twisted to face the women.

Joey shrugged and stated, "I've got nothing else to do." Steve smiled at her which she reciprocated with a wink. Once his eyes drifted to Anela she flushed a light pink and nodded.

"Where Joey goes I go, I suppose." Joey high-fived her then stuck her tongue out at Danny as if she were seven years old.

Steve smiled, placed a comforting hand on Anela's back and walked towards Danny's car. Danny followed suit with Joey by his side and they walked relatively close to one another, their hands in brushing distance. They were close enough for Danny to be able to smell her light perfume and for her to see the hairs on his arms to stand on end as a strong gust of wind rushed passed them. Steve glanced back at the two of them and smiled to himself. Maybe, his idea to get those two together was not entirely insane. Both Danny and Joey felt Steve's eyes on them and simultaneously looked from the ground to glare at him.

"So, to catch you guys up on the case: we're hunting this guy called Doran, who happened to look a lot like the man you had your gun pointed at, Joey," Steve explained.

Joey turned her attention back to Danny, "So tell me Williams, how did you manage to mistake me for a _male_ suspect who is dark skinned with gang tattoos?" Danny sent her a glare and a spout of mock laughter. Anela turned his face to sky as if to ask 'Why me?' which made Steve chuckle.

"Why is it, that the _British_," he spat the word, "always think they are better than everyone else?" Joey rolled her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides. Anela chuckled as Joey's face turned sour, it was the first time she had seen anyone get so far under her partners skin. Joey was not the biggest people person and she was the most hot-headed person she knew but nobody in the history of her knowledge, had pissed her off as much as Danny Williams had in that short amount of time.

"Not better, just smarter. Anyway, you have no place commenting on who thinks they are superior when you are wearing a tie in _Hawaii_." Danny scoffed and fiddled with the knot in his tie. The purple fabric shimmied against his shirt as he moved it into alignment. He was wrong, he had found someone who he hated more than McGarrett. Joey mockingly 'ooed' him and by that point they had both stopped walking and were practically nose to nose, both of them with had fists clenched at their sides. Before Danny replied Steve had turned around and stood between them with an outstretched arm. He didn't say anything, he just gave them both a pointed look then continued to walk to the car. What he really wanted to do was smash their faces together so they could kiss and make up for the misunderstanding. He knew that would probably get him punched but by the look in Anela's eyes, he knew she thought about the same thing.

Danny averted his eyes from Joey and followed his partner which made her raise an eyebrow but followed none the less. She skimmed her eyes over her new co-worker and her eyes lingered on the muscles that moved beneath Danny's shirt as he moved. However, when her eyes started to drift to his backside she reminded herself what an idiot he was and turned her attention to the trees that surrounded her. She finally took her eyes from her environment when she noticed Steve and Danny stop in front of the most beautiful vehicles she had ever laid eyes on. She slipped her sunglasses onto her head and stopped in her tracks.

"Um Robertson?" Danny waved a hand in front of her face which caused her to snap out of her short daze and turn her gaze to Danny's. His breath caught in his throat when –for the first time since meeting her- he locked eyes with her. He visibly gulped, suppressed a smile and moved his attention to his car therefore away from her stormy eyes. Joey proceeded to take a step toward the car with her eyes once again full of awe. It was a newly-washed, silver Mustang and for the first time in her life Joey believed in love at first sight. Steve had definitely upgraded from the rusted heap of metal he used to call a car.

"Steve, your car is bloody fantastic." Steve chuckled at her childlike awe, smirked at Danny then watched as Joey ran her hand over the roof of the car. The metal was hot under her touch but she didn't so much as flinch.

"Enjoying yourself?" Danny's voice was directly next to her, his body leant against the passenger door. 'Smug' was written in his body language and it made her suspicious. She stated for the second time how amazing the car was and it made Danny's chest swell with pride and he told himself it was because he topped Steve, not because _she _was impressed. He answered her amazed comment with a quiet, "thank you" and a smirk. She looked at him quizzically. Why did he thank her? Since when did that moron speak for Steve?

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and faced her fully. She copied his movement, her hip braced against the side of the car. With the direction she was facing the sun shone directly in her eyes so she slipped her sunglasses back on, her cheeks warmed by the hot plastic. Even with her sunglasses on she found it difficult to read the Detective's expression but she would have bet a lot of money that it was the same smug smirk from before.

"Joey?" She craned her neck to look at Steve. With a nod in Danny's direction he informed her that, "it's Danny's car." Her mouth fell open fractionally and said blonde let out a string of laughter followed by Anela's quiet giggle.

Joey shook her head a few times but once she got over the initial shock she avoided all eye contact with Danny and sat in the back seat of the car with Anela. The car smelled like its owner and it somehow made her feel calm and safe. The two men followed her into the car but instead of Danny sat in the driver's seat Steve did. She rolled her eyes and relaxed into the leather of the chair, the seat practically moulded around her. She continued to doubt that the blonde American had such good taste but she didn't complain as she folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes.

"So Anela, how long have you been Joey's partner?" Steve inquired as he glanced at her through the rear-view mirror. The tech-specialist blushed under his gaze but smiled sweetly at him. Joey opened one of her eyes and watched them converse. Steve was exactly the type that Anela would have gladly sunk her claws into and she detected that Anela had already mapped out her seduction plan. Steve had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

"Um, nearly twenty four hours but we have been best friends since we were young. My family and I moved to England when I was sixteen and that's when I met Joey," she explained with a shrug. Joey gave Anela a cheeky grin before she slipped her eyes closed once more. Steve nodded and turned his attention back to the busy road although he couldn't help but wonder why he had never heard about the elegant Hawaiian. Steve's phone buzzed in his pocket and fished it out, a text message across the screen. He looked behind him for a split second and did a sharp U-turn which made a yelp fall from Joey's lips as she shifted in her seat. She glared at the back of his head but said nothing. Anela's hand pressed to her chest and her head was thrown back from the shock.

"What was that for?!" Danny demanded loudly.

Steve kept his eyes on the road but answered, "We've got an address on Doran. Anela and I will get food for us all whilst you and Joey scope out Doran's place." Joey sat straighter in her seat and removed her sunglasses once again. Her jaw had fallen open and her eyes had gotten wide. Danny's expression matched hers perfectly and Anela took great joy in pointing that out.

"I am not working with her/him!" They yelled simultaneously. Steve flinched at the volume of their voices but he did not deter from his plan. How else was he supposed to get the job done and learn more about the beautiful Hawaiian at the same time? He also needed to teach his two stubborn friends that they had to get along because they had to see a lot of each other.

"I'll even leave the car for you, we'll take a cab and meet you at The Mea`ai Club. It serves one of the best hotdogs on the island." Joey's stomach growled loudly at the thought of food and realised she had not eaten anything but a small packet of biscuits since yesterday lunch time. She hated airline food with a passion so she had skipped that meal and since she had been on Hawaiian soil she had not had time to eat. Anela's own stomach growled but she had been smart enough to eat the food the airline offered her. Yet, she was still famished.

Steve parked the car outside a multi-coloured building packed with tourists. In bold, green letters was: 'The Mea`ai Club' and the smell of hotdogs and burgers wafted through the open car windows. Steve stepped out of the car and helped Anela climb out like a gentleman. Joey made a move to follow but Steve sent her a pointed look and pointed to the front passenger seat which Danny had vacated in favour of the driver's seat. She glowered at the Commander but climbed over to the front seat anyway. Steve leant his forearms on the open window and smirked at the car's occupants.

"Play nicely you two, I would like both of you alive by the time you get back. I've sent Joey the address," Joey checked her phone to find he was correct, "also, have either of you got any cash?" he looked hopeful and Joey rolled her eyes. That was a classic McGarrett move, pretended he had no money so that he would not have to pay. Danny begrudgingly dug through his pocket for his wallet for some spare notes. Joey glimpsed a picture tucked behind one of his credit cards: a young brunette girl who wore a large smile.

Once Steve walked away and Danny reversed the car and drove back onto the main road Joey stated instead of asked, "You have a daughter." Danny was taken aback but he quickly composed himself and she noticed a small smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Yes I do, her name is Grace. Anything else?" Joey let out a low whistle at his sharp tone which opposed his smile. She scanned him for anything else that she could pinpoint and realised he did not have on a wedding ring. As fun as it was to annoy the Detective, she did not want to bring up past marriages or girlfriends, which is never a fun conversation for anyone.

Suddenly, Danny groaned and pulled out his phone as a theme-tune from a horror film blared from his phone. Joey settled back into her seat and watched Danny out of the corner of her eye. Danny did not answer the call as she had expected him to but instead, pressed 'deny' and placed the phone on the seat next to him. That was when Joey's self-control snapped.

"I take it your marriage didn't end very well." Danny produced a sigh.

"No. It would have if my ex had not re-married and dragged my daughter to this pineapple infested hellhole," as he spoke he kept his eyes on the road; he did not look at her the entire time. Joey processed what he said and stifled a laugh, it was a good analogy but how could somebody not enjoy a tropical island?

"You don't like the beach?" She asked in disbelief.

He shook his head and said with the upmost certainty, "I don't like the beach. I like, uh, cities. You know, sky-scrapers, no tsunamis, and no jellyfish." He shrugged and Joey looked at him as though he belonged in an asylum. She understood the 'no tsunamis' part but the rest of it was insane, to start: jellyfish were cool.

Then a thought occurred to her, "please tell me you can swim." He turned to face her sharply.

"Can I swim?" If Steve had stuck her with a co-worker that could not help her in the water, her and the Navy Seal would have had a conversation filled with words not suited for a child's ears. "I know- I swim, I swim for survival not for fun." Joey smirked and nodded and Danny opened his mouth to defend himself when the horror theme-tune sounded once again.

That time, he did answer, "Yes dear?" His voice was full of sarcasm and Joey gained a small smirk. He bit his lip unconsciously and Joey had to warn herself to keep her eyes on the scenery outside the car instead of on him and his pink lips. A short laugh emanated from him soon after and, "Hey Monkey," followed. Joey turned intrigued so she tore her eyes from the scenery and focused on Danny, the one thing she originally did not want to do. "No, no, no I thought you were your mom…" Joey scoffed at the American term and noticed the change in his demeanour as he spoke to his daughter. He seemed noticeably happier and less tense than when he first answered the phone. "I am so glad that everybody liked your bunny… I'm excited too, we are going to have so much fun this weekend… Hey, Danno loves you." He ended the call with a smile and Joey could not keep her eyes off of him.

With an internal giggle she had to ask, "Who's 'Danno'?"

"Don't." She chuckled at him and crossed her legs. Danny's eyes drifted to where they crossed but he then remembered that he had to keep his eyes on the road and not on his female partner. However, he sent multiple, short glances in her direction which went unnoticed by her due to her attention being on the road as well.

It took another ten minutes for them to arrive at their destination and once they did –without a word said- Joey opened her door and stepped out of the car. Danny called her back immediately and she looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"This guy Doran's a shooter alright, we shouldn't be doing this without backup."

She processed his words and with a serious look on her face she stated, "You are the backup," and shut her door. Danny watched her walk through the group of huts they were parked behind and he cursed the headache he felt form.

"I'm the backup," he repeated to himself. "I hate her, I hate her so much," was the last sentence uttered inside the vehicle before he too stepped out of the car and walked through the huts.

There were a few clusters of people outside chatting and staring but aside from that everything seemed normal. There was no screaming, no gunshots so there was no reason for Danny to be weary. Yet, as he caught up with the Englishwoman the bottom of his gut clenched and his trigger finger twitched. He grabbed her arm gently and told her to, "Slow down, huh?" She rolled her eyes at him, pulled her arm out of his grip and continued to walk to Doran's house. Loud crashes sounded from inside the house so Joey laid her back flat against the wall and proceeded up the stairs. With a hand gesture from Joey to 'move', Danny jogged past her up the stairs and un-holstered his gun. Joey did the same with her gun and waited.

It was not a long wait because as soon as they had gotten in position, a skinny red-head stormed out of the front door. She gasped as she saw Joey; Danny hooked a hand over her mouth then pulled her away from the door quietly. A man's high-pitched voice called the girl back none-too-politely and his footsteps got closer to the door. Joey crouched down further so her head was not visible in the door's window and she shared a warning look with Danny. The man's footsteps slowed to halt directly outside the door and Joey's brow furrowed.

Danny yelped in pain as the red-headed woman bit his hand and called for her lover. Milliseconds later and a bullet had made its way into Danny's upper-arm. Joey ducked –her natural reaction to gunfire- and watched as Danny fell over the railing on the stairs. Joey called Danny's name; he landed on a dusty car and other than the gunshot wound he seemed fine.

"Go, go!" He told her so she did. She made her way into the house with her gun out in front of her. Doran ran, she heard his footsteps move quickly away so she followed him just as swiftly. One, two, three shots were fired and then the sound of shattered glass alerted her of Doran's escape from the house. She groaned and followed him out of the window and landed on a pile of rubbish, much to her chagrin. She followed him around the back of several houses and blew the hair from her face as she rounded the next corner. Doran made it across the street and took a civilian woman hostage with a gun to her head. Joey jumped over the hood of an oncoming car and pointed her gun at Doran's face which ripped a hole in the calf of her jeans. He demanded she put down her gun but he should have realised that by the irritated look on her face, that that was not going to happen.

"Put the gun down or I'll kill her! You don't think I'll do it?" No, Joey did not think he would do it. "I swear to god I'll kill her!" The woman in his arms pleaded with her to put the gun down so Joey slowly took one hand off her Beretta M9 and raised it in surrender. Before she could blink, Doran had tried to pull the gun on her but had taken a shot to the head by someone behind him. That made Joey place both hands on the gun once more and pointed it in that direction. However, the shooter was not an enemy but it was Danny who looked somewhat roughed up. Joey let out a breath she did not know she had been holding and holstered her gun after she sent a nod of thanks in the Detective's direction.

The HPD arrived 4.3 minutes later exactly, with an ambulance and a lot of yellow tape. Danny was ushered to the ambulance to get his gun wound treated whilst Joey explained what had happened to the police. Joey also overlooked the red-head -who had bitten Danny's hand- arrest and she couldn't help but laugh as she snarled, "I hope it hurts," as she passed Danny.

"Careful, she bites." After that short têt-a-têt Joey made her way back into the house –if you could have called it that beneath all the beer cans and rubbish- and 'scoped' the place out like Steve had asked. The living room only had a sofa and two cushions along with a small, satellite television. That room led to the kitchen where glass was strewn all over the floor due to Doran's escape plan and then the bedroom had only a grungy mattress leant up against a wall. That wall then started to shake and emitted muffled yells. Joey shoved the mattress away with the front of her boot –there was no way in hell she planned to touch that with her skin- and unlocked the hidden, wooden door.

Inside the small door was a young girl who looked no older than fifteen. Joey shone her torch over the girl and noticed her dirt covered clothes and there was dry blood over her arms and legs. Whether that blood was hers or not was unnoticeable. The young girl flinched under the light and cowered into the corner, blatantly scared out of her wits. There were dry tear marks on her cheeks and an old rag tied around her mouth, her hands tied to a boiler pipe.

"It's okay," Joey reassured her as she slowly –so as not to scare her more- untied her hands from the pipe and removed the gag from her mouth. "What's your name sweetheart?" The girl still looked frightened so Joey repeated the question but in Japanese and the young girl replied, "Chachi." Joey repeated the name with a smile and carefully reached for her. The young girl flinched but with a kind smile Joey stroked the matted hair from the girl's face and Chachi allowed her to help take her outside. Joey handed her over to one of the police officers who informed her of a Japanese cargo ship that docked there yesterday and she made her way back to the car where Danny stood waiting for her. With a questioning look at the young girl Danny leant on the car with folded arms.

"She was smuggled on a cargo ship from Japan, with her parents and a couple of other refugees. Then she gets here and she's traded to Doran," Joey pointed at the house she had exited. Danny looked up at the sky, and Joey realised that the American had not listened to a word she had said.

"Okay, I'm sorry, this is typically the point where you would say thank you for saving your life." He gestured to himself then to her and she moved away from the car to face him fully. She had found a smuggled girl, and Danny wanted an apology? Not only that, but because of him they had no lead. She then pointed that out to him and he returned with, "Are you kidding me?" His hands were out by his sides when he spoke but Joey pretended not to notice because she mentally continued to piece together the mess of crap that the newly found girl had produced. "You just took a stupid risk, okay?" Danny pointed at the house as he caught her attention once again, "Understand that! I am not getting _myself _killed for yours or Steve's vendetta. I have a daughter, okay?"

"Yeah well that girl over there is someone's daughter too."

"You don't get it," Joey resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "For someone whose friend just lost his father you're pretty dense." She took a step toward him, all traces of humour or kindness gone.

"What did you just say to me? John McGarrett was like-" Joey took a breath and uncrossed her arms, "what if she was yours? Is there anything that you would _not _do to hunt down the son-of-a-bitch that did that to her?" Danny's expression went from shock to anger in under a second and it was all aimed at Joey.

"Do not question my resolve, do you understand?" His finger was close to her face and her own resolve was about to snap. He got too close and spoke to her like she was a child as though he were superior to her, as though he were one of her ex-COs.

"I'm warning you, take your finger out of my face or I'll-"

"Listen to me you idiot!" He jabbed his finger into her shoulder and she reacted by grabbing the wrist of that hand and twisted it so that his back was toward her and his knees were on the floor. He let out a strangled cry as his bone clicked loudly. In her defence she did warn him but she made sure that there was no extensive damage, it would only hurt for a couple of hours then he would have been back to normal.

"Now, you don't have to like me," she spoke over his grunts of pain, "but Steve trusts me and you may not like Steve either but there is nobody else to do the job." Her grip loosened a fraction as she saw that he was in more pain than she had initially intended.

"Okay, let me go," he sounded winded as well as injured but she did as he asked. He stood up, shoved his hair back into place and straightened his shirt. She took a step back to allow him space but once she opened her mouth to speak, his fist connected with her jaw. She flew to the side, the car broke her fall and despite the throbbing, she was impressed with his right-hook. Also, she was impressed with the fact that he was not afraid to hit a woman; that added to the small amount of respect she had for him. "You're right, I don't like you." He got into the car, followed by Joey who was intent to click her jaw back into place.

They made their way away from the huts and police officers and down small roads until they made it back onto the main road. Joey's hunger started to bother her along with the ache in the left side of her jaw. She was more focussed on getting food though.

"How's the arm?" She tried to start a conversation. He avoided her eyes and he looked angrier than before.

"Let's just not talk."

"Do you mean right now, or never again?" She had pushed her luck a couple of times when it came to Danny but when she teased him it was like a virus she could not get rid of, it was like it was in her DNA to irritate Danny Williams.

"Just both, okay?" She shrugged and continued to play with her jaw, a click resounded at random intervals until she finally popped it back into the correct position.

Joey could not take the silence in the car so she sniggered and addressed Danny, "I think I might know why your wife left you." She noticed his hands clenched around the steering wheel, he probably imagined it was her neck.

"Really?" That one word sounded like it emanated from the gut of a Lion, if the lion had a Jersey accent.

"Yeah, you're very sensitive." A scoff flew from Danny's lips and Joey leant back in her chair, feet propped on the dashboard. That earned her a glare from him but she didn't move as she awaited his next response. When she irritated Danny, it added a bit of humour and normalcy to her job.

"I'm sensitive huh?" His Jersey accent came out stronger than before, his body shifted in his seat as he tried not to lunge at his new partner. She chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm sensitive?" If he asked that question again –no matter what the form- she might have punched him in the nose and been done with it. Instead of acting on her violent thoughts, she turned her body to face him more.

"A little bit mate."

He glanced at her for a second or two and she knew that she had opened a can of worms she wasn't sure she would ever be able to close again. She grimaced and he opened his mouth, "When did you come to the conclusion I was sensitive, huh? Was it when a bullet was tearing through my flesh? Is that when I seemed sensitive to you?" She opened her mouth to respond but he was as far away from 'finished' as one could be, "I am really glad you have that GI Jane thousand-yard stare from chasing shoe bombers around the world, okay?" She wanted to explain that her job didn't _actually_ consist of that, "But in Civilised Society, we have rules, all right? It is the unspoken glue that separates us from jackals and hyenas, all right?"

After that marvellous speech all Joey asked was, "Jackals and hyenas?" Danny let out an exasperated sigh and it mixed with the breeze that flowed in from the cracked open window. He acted like he had not heard her and that frustrated her; she did not like it when people just stopped talking, it left the conversations to die and questions unanswered. She turned to face him fully as best she could when she wore a seatbelt. With a poke to his side, she seemed to have regained his attention.

"Animal Planet, whatever, okay? The point is, Rule number one: if you get somebody shot, you apologise!-"

"I'm sorry."

"You don't wait for a special occasion, okay?"

She tried once again, "I'm sorry."

"Like birthdays or friggin' President's Day!" She rolled her eyes, he was being a tad dramatic for her taste. Yes, she got him shot but she had been shot plenty of times, did she ever complain an hour after? No.

Displeased with his complaints she spoke up, "Hey, mate, I'm sorry. I am sincerely sorry which is what I was trying to tell you last year, when this conversation started." He stared at her owlishly for a moment as he processed the fact that she had in fact, apologised. He focused on parking the car before he rolled his shoulders and faced her.

"Your, uh, apology is noted. Acceptance in pending." Joey chuckled and sent him a small smile which he returned but they both drifted back into silence and neutral expressions.

* * *

"There is no way that actually happened!" Steve laughed around a mouthful of chips. Anela laughed along with him; the last time she had been that happy was when Joey had thrown her a surprise, Hawaiian themed birthday. She remembered, it was two days before Joey had been accepted into the Military. That was nearly sseven years from that day and it always brought a tear to Anela's eye. Her best friend had been shipped off to battle a war neither of them fully comprehended but Joey told her everything would work out because she said, "I'm just that good A." Then, as Anela sat at the metal table outside of a Hawaiian diner, she found herself entranced by a Navy Seal and heard the internal warning bells sound.

"It did, I swear! She was _that_ angry at him that she dismantled the screws in his bed, stole every item of clothing he owned and sold them to random people," Anela laughed again at the memory. Steve stared at her with a large smile and inched his hand closer to hers across the table. She smiled at him and continued to tell him stories from hers and Joey's childhood. He listened intently but he started to focus on her lip movement instead of her words. He licked his lips as he thought of her lips against his but he controlled himself as the sound of a car horn sounded from the road. Steve turned his head to face the noise and noticed Danny's slicked back blonde hair and Joey's infamous smirk. He motioned for them to join them but Danny shook his head and tapped his watch; Steve checked his own and winced, they had been gone longer than he had thought.

"Hold on a minute Anela," he excused himself and made his way over to Danny. "What did you guys find?" Joey gave him a look which screamed that they needed a lot of time to explain. Unfortunately, they did not have that type of time.

"Long story short, she got me shot and we found a young girl who had been smuggled in from Japan," Danny explained in one breath. Joey rolled her eyes and subconsciously brushed her fingers over her jaw.

"Joey, what happened to your jaw?" Joey sent a pointed look at the back of Danny's head and Steve's expression turned to that of a frustrated parent who had to reprimand his children. "I told you two to play nice, not beat each other up." Steve sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Anyway, about this smuggled girl, if they managed to get her into Hawaii, maybe-"

"Maybe that is how Hess got in," Joey finished for him. Danny looked between the two in horror; it was as though he looked at the same person twice, except that one of them was decidedly better looking.

To save him from that horrible realisation, Anela arrived at the window with a takeaway bag in her hand. Joey leaned over Danny's body and reached for the bag as though it were the last glass of water on the planet. Danny's body tensed and he leaned as far back in his chair as physically possible. There were two hotdogs in the bottom of the bag along with two medium fries. Joey checked each hotdog and nearly squealed in excitement as she found the one with no sauce but a bigger sausage. Those two knew her so well. She grabbed one of the packets of fries then handed the bag over to Danny who looked as happy as she was. She scrunched up her nose as he smothered his in mustard but took a bite of hers with a blissful smile on her face. Steve had not lied, that was the best hotdog she had ever tasted. That bliss was interrupted by the loud call of Steve's name.

"Chin, hey!" They bro-hugged one another before Steve introduced Chin to everybody and explained that he was the officer that his father personally trained. Joey looked him over and concluded that his angular jaw and soft eyes were to be trusted. "Hey man, I'm glad you're here. I need a name, a head of a large international smuggler, a snake head."

"Are you kidding?" Chin laughed without humour, "look at me, I'm a rubber gun now."

"You were on the force for fifteen years," Steve reminded him. Joey's face lit up in realisation: _that _was the man that had been kicked off the force. She heard the cabbie talk about it when she mentioned the HPD. Chin faltered for a moment then looked up at Steve.

"Look, I know a guy who's got ties to that world but forget it, he's a former confidential informant who trusts no one. Especially," he paused and made his weariness obvious as he swept his eyes over Joey and Danny, "Hoales."

"Then you talk to them," Joey suggested.

Chin surveyed her for a moment and answered with, "I'm busy."

"Oh you're busy?" Danny and Joey turned to one another so fast that they were surprised they did not get whiplash. They both spoke at the same time, in the same tone and both were worried for their health. After the initial shock had worn off, Joey gestured for Danny to speak, her eyes were wide as she went back to her hotdog. "Are you expecting a crime wave in the gift shop this afternoon?" Chin glared at him for a split second before he looked back at Steve and he also ignored Joey's snort of laughter.

"I can't be a cop anymore."

"Why not?" Steve demanded and answer.

"Because I _can't _be. HPD accused me of taking payoffs so I'm the last person the department wants to see wearing a badge… I have to go." He walked away from the group but Joey did not appreciate that so she put down her food –a surprising act-, opened her door and walked after him. She caught up to him and grabbed his arm so he would stop. He spun around to face her and they both felt the eyes of her friends on them.

"Did you take the money?" He looked offended and tried to pull his arm from her grip but it only tightened. She repeated the question and watched closely for his reaction.

"No." Joey released his arm gently and smiled warmly at him.

"Then come with us, and we don't need to talk about this again. This is your ticket back into the game, call it payback, call it whatever the hell you want, we need you." Chin's eyes felt wet and Joey chuckled at his stunned expression. She clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a playful smile.

"What makes you think you can trust me?" She winked at him and looked over her shoulder at Steve.

"John McGarrett trusted you and besides," she hooked an arm through his, "you haven't punched anyone from our team in the face yet, so that's a plus." He chuckled along with her and laughed even harder when she muttered, "Give it time though, just give it time." They walked back over to where the group was and Joey climbed back into her seat with a smug smile. She felt all their eyes on her so she faced Steve with a cheeky grin. "Oh right, Chin's now a part of the task force. You're welcome." Steve gaped like a fish and absently welcomed Chin to the team. The Hawaiian chuckled and patted him on the back, he immediately understood Joey's role: give Steve as many aneurisms as possible.

After Steve 'agreed' to the new member of the team, Chin led the way to the opposite side of the island where his informant was. Luckily, Chin had his motorbike so they did not have to find a way to squeeze him in the car as well. What Joey was not thrilled about was when Steve had demanded that he drove and that she sat in the back. There were a few unpleasant words flung from her mouth but he ignored her and she did as he said. It did not take long for them to reach the informant's hideout which looked exactly the same as the restaurant they had previously been sat outside except the informant's hideout had 'Shave Ice' painted on the wall. Steve thought that there was no point in them all going so he got out the car along with Joey, who climbed over Anela and through Steve's door because the car only had two doors. They made their way to the open, front door where deep bass music poured from inside. Joey attempted to cover her ears whilst being polite but she only managed to look like she had a shoulder twitch.

Chin walked them over to where the shave ice was sold and greeted a large man behind the counter, "Hey, Kamekona!" They shook hands over the counter.

"It's good to see you my brother." Joey sincerely hoped that he meant in the friendly sense and not the literal sense because if so, she would had to have had a serious conversation with their mother about healthy diets. She was not exactly the role model for eating properly but Kamekona's size was ridiculous; you could have housed orphans under his skin!

"Hey bra," Chin leaned over the counter and his face turned serious, "I need a name." Kamekona's eyes swam over Joey and Steve as though they were an infectious disease that would kill him. Joey crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as his gaze lingered too long in certain places. Chin turned to them and nodded to the car with an apologetic look. Steve shrugged and guided Joey away from the two men.

"Ah, not before they pay: two cones, two t-shirts to go," Kamekona's voice sounded smug. They turned back to face him and he looked as smug as he sounded. Steve sighed and handed the large man a twenty dollar bill. "This one feels a bit lonely bra." Steve handed him roughly four more twenties before he rolled his eyes and walked away with the purchased merchandise. "There is one more thing I need you two fine people to do."

Joey and Steve exchanged a look and minutes later they found themselves back at the car dressed in t-shirts too large for either of them and they had two shaved ices in their hands. Once Danny and Anela spotted them, their fits of laughter echoed out the car windows. Joey shot them both a glare but that did nothing to stop their laughter. Joey handed her shave ice to Steve for moment and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt and used the elastic around her wrist to pull the hem to her waistline. Then, she took her shave ice back and began to eat it. Anela and Danny continued to laugh at Steve and Joey's fed-up faces and the Military trained officers ignored them as best as possible. Their laughter only ceased when Chin walked over to them with laughter of his own.

Steve turned to him with an unamused look on his face, "You better have a name." Chin tittered and nodded. He had a name which was a plus but the newest question was: how did they plan to find him? As though Steve read their minds, he informed them that the Governor's 'immunity and means' package came with a HQ where the task-force was based. Joey hit him on the back of his head, a scold on the tip of her tongue for not telling them. He rubbed the spot where she hit him and shrugged with a half-smile.

"Can we get going, please?" Danny poked his head out of the window like an impatient dog. Steve let Joey slip into the car before him and sped onto the street once everyone was situated.

"Joey, you know you can take that off now right?" Anela pointed out as she poked the light blue fabric Kamekona had forced Joey to wear. Joey blinked at her as she processed what she had said and untied the elastic. She pulled the large about of fabric over her head and growled as her own top rode up with it. Anela giggled, helped her friend with her clothes and raised an eyebrow as she caught Danny's eyes on Joey through the wing-mirror. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the road in front of him. "Men," Anela chuckled and watched as Joey pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

* * *

The car finally pulled up outside of a large, cream coloured building that looked like it had been sculpted in the style of the French Renaissance. Palm trees stood as guards either side of the double doors and Joey let out a chuckle as she saw the American flag that flew proudly at the top of the clock tower. The chuckle was followed by a low whistle as they made their way inside where there were long corridors covered with offices made of glass and dark wood. The main room was what impressed her the most. Three monitors protruded from the far side and there were four offices that surrounded what looked like a metal desk. They soon figured out –by the high-pitched squeal Anela emitted- that the desk was actually a computer that connected to any electronic device and the three monitors.

"We'll never get her away from that now," Joey whispered to Chin as they watched the short woman as she flittered around the large computer. Chin shrugged and made his way over to the excited blonde; he made conversation about the technical side of the impressive machine so Joey placed her attention on something else, like the hunt to pick an office. They all looked the same, the only difference that they were in different positions. With a sneer she randomly picked one and claimed it with a loud, "Dibs!"

Danny poked his head through the door to said office and looked at her with a frown. He stated grumpily, "You can't just place 'dibs' on an office." Joey let out a fake gasp, her hand covered her chest.

"I just did." He sighed and made his way to where Anela, Steve and Chin had formed a semicircle. Joey followed and stood as far away from Danny as possible whereas Anela had stood incredibly close to Steve, so close that if either of them breathed, their sides brushed.

"Right," Chin called everyone's attention, tapped a few keys on the computer screen and a picture popped up on one of the monitors. The man in the picture had long, black hair which made him look like a Hawaiian John Travolta. The man's face was thin, the jaw was prominent but his nose was slimmer than any other part of his picture. "This is Sang Min. He came in from Japan eight years ago; according to my man Kamekona he runs the island's human import and export business."

"So, Hess could have used him to get in or off the island," Joey concluded.

"Let's say this guy's for real," Danny stretched before he pointed at the monitor, "he's still got no reason to tell us where Hess is." Joey and Steve shared a look which –to Danny and Anela- screamed trouble. Chin did not seem to notice but if he did, he acted as though it did not bother him. Concurrently Joey and Steve shrugged and stared at the monitor for a moment.

"Then we find some leverage, twist his arm a little," Joey recommended.

"Define leverage," Chin was intrigued.

"A simple bait and trap," Steve added, "wire up an undercover and send them in."

"That may work well on the Mainland but we are on an island with less than a million people, here, the bad guys know the good guys." Joey pondered on that thought for a moment before –without saying a word- she pointed between herself and Anela.

The men's eyebrows furrowed and Joey copied the movement but when she realised they had not understood, she spoke, "We're new, nobody here knows us, and especially not a trafficker who I'm sure can't even spell his own name. I may be Military, but I'm _English _Military, and Anela is a lower-agent in a police department in London. Trust me, you send me in and I'll have this guy before you can say 'mohalo'."

"There is just one problem with that," Danny said.

"Of course there is, _what _is the problem?" Joey snapped. Danny glared at her over the computer and Steve worried that he would had to have prevented either of one of them from jumping over the table and attacking the other. However, that attack never happened.

"You don't look Asian-"

"Thank you Captain obvious," Joey cut him off.

"We need someone who can pretend they have family in Japan that needs trafficking over," Danny finished through gritted teeth. Joey opened her mouth to retaliate but grasped that he was correct. She closed her mouth and sat on the edge of the computer so her back was to the blonde Detective. She heard him mutter something along the lines of, "That's so childish," before he returned his attention to Chin.

"Danny's right, Anela's going to have to be the one to go in." Joey barked out a laugh but said nothing. It was Anela's life, she could do what she wanted but Joey was 99.99% certain that she knew what her friend's answer would be. She looked at her watch and counted down: five… four… three… two... o-

"No way!" Joey smirked and put her hands in her pockets. Danny watched the smug Brit with narrowed eyes and she must have felt his eyes on the back of her head because she turned and gave him a mocking wink. "Look, guys, I don't do field work, that's Jo's thing. I stay on the side-lines and work all the surveillance." Anela nervously fiddled with her bracelet and avoided all eye contact.

"Anela, we sort of need you on this one. We'll be with you the entire time, Joey can even be outside the door ready to kick some ass if something goes wrong." Anela turned to Joey for confirmation who gave her a cheeky smile and a side hug. Hesitantly, Anela agreed and the smile that Steve produced was enough to make her happy with her decision

Once it was agreed that Anela would be the bait, Chin stayed at the HQ with her to set up the meeting with Sang Min whilst Steve, Danny and Joey went to Steve's house to gather supplies/weapons. Joey had suggested that they go back to her hotel room and grab what she had but Steve told her that would take too long. She had scoffed but she really did not care as long as she got a decent gun. They arrived at his house in under ten minutes and the first thing Steve did was hop in the shower. That left Danny and Joey alone, in a room full of weapons; that was not Steve's smartest idea.

After Steve had finished his shower they set to work and picked out a weapon for everyone. It took longer than anticipated because Danny started to argue about the type of gun that was best for him. Joey had easily put him in his place and shoved a Glock 35 into his hands. He carefully took the gun and holstered it at the same time she holstered a Grand Power K100. Steve was not as bothered with the gun he used so he grabbed the first one he saw and holstered it.

Steve's phone beeped in his pocket and it took him a total of two seconds to read the text.

"That was Chin, the meeting is at six so we have some time to chill out before we get Anela ready." The way he said Anela's name brought a smile to Joey's face. They had only met hours previous and he spoke her name as though she were his entire world. Joey made a mental note to tease them both about it at a later date. "You two can head outside, I'll grab some beers." Why Steve insisted on leaving them alone with one another, they never knew. They did what he said and Danny perched himself on one of the wooden deck chairs whereas Joey settled herself on the sand in front of both the chairs.

"So, are you going to tell me what 'Danno' means?"

"Yeah, when you tell me why you're hell bent on helping Steve." Joey looked at him startled. Those were not the words that she expected to hear. She stood from the sand and brushed off her jeans; she never took her eyes off the Detective.

"Steve is a close friend of mine and so was his father. They have both saved my arse on numerous occasions and it's the same the other way around; so the reason I'm 'hell bent on helping Steve' is because I'll be damned if I let him go through this alone." She turned her face away from him and realised that Steve had made his way down to them with the beers. He stood there with a sly smile on his face but she ignored it and took her beer. "Sneaky bastard," she muttered as she made her way back over to Danny. The blonde chuckled and took his beer from Steve's outstretched hand.

"You truly are a puzzle Robertson," the Commander commented as she sat back on her spot in the sand. She glared at him through her lashes and took a harsh swig of her beer.

"Yeah well, Grace and me, we like puzzles." His eyes lit up when he mentioned his daughter and it made Joey smile. She might not have liked Danny all that much but she admired him and his love for his daughter. She had not seen him with her but she could tell that he was a great father and would do anything for his daughter. She hoped that she got to meet her one day.

"You're a good father," Joey lazily remarked. Danny smiled softly at her which she missed because her attention was on her beer-bottle label. Nevertheless, Steve noticed and smirked at his new friend. He genuinely believed that they disliked one another but he knew –in the short time they had known each other- deep down that they were glad to have met the other.

Danny's smile soon faded into a sigh and he returned her compliment with an, "Yeah, maybe, I don't know." Joey sent him a confused look but he stared at the ocean. "There's three ways of looking at it: one, I could get myself killed chasing some meth head scumbag and then what kind of father would I be?"

"I always looked up to my father for that. I'm sure Grace is going to feel the same way," Steve said as he watched his partner when he stood from the wooden chair.

"Yeah maybe, either that or she may think I'm a selfish son-of-a-bitch because the truth is, it's all I've got; I need this, I want to do what I'm good at and I want to be reminded I'm good at what I do." Joey stared at him from where she sat and her face held no mocking or any sign of teasing; it looked like she understood. However, that expression instantaneously changed when he turned his gaze to hers. "If that means having to put up with your twisted belief that you are never wrong," Joey chuckled and raised her bottle above her head, "then so be it." Steve chuckled and clinked his bottle with Danny's then with Joey's. If Steve had ever been sure of anything, it was that the task force seemed to be the best thing for his friends as well as him because he had never seen Joey trust anybody as quickly as he had that day and Danny did not seem like the type of person to share his feelings often.

"So what was the third?" Joey asked as finished off the last of her beer.

"Well, even if I tell myself this isn't permanent, it's Gracie's home now; it's my job to keep it safe." Steve stood and patted Danny on the knee before he checked his watch with a yawn.

"Guys, it's nearly five now so I suggest we get going and prep Anela before she goes in."

It took nearly ten minutes to reach the destination of the meeting, then another thirty minutes to calm Anela down. It was a good thing Steve suggested they left early because Anela was a nervous wreck by the time they had her dressed and prepped. She and Joey had sat at the opposite end of the van to where the technical equipment was where Joey calmed her down and explained the cover story. Anela stumbled over her words a few times but eventually spoke a full sentence without stuttering. She then had to change into a simple blue dress so that Sang Min believed that she was the type of woman that was too busy to care about fashion. Anela scrunched her face up at the thought but Danny reminded her that it was for a case so as soon as her part was over she could change.

"Okay A, it's time. I'm going be directly outside the door and I've got the guys to tell me if anything goes wrong," Joey told her as she hugged her. Anela shook like a leaf but shrugged it off as Joey sent her a signature smirk. Before they left the van, Steve asked for a moment alone with Anela which Joey happily gave him.

Steve rested his hands gently on her shoulder and stooped down so that he was at eye-level with her. Words were not necessary at that point so she leaned up and kissed his cheek softly before she gave one of his hands a reassuring squeeze. Steve's eyes bore into hers and if it weren't for Joey's loud, "Guys, we sort of have a criminal to meet with," Anela was sure he would have kissed her. Joey ignored Anela's glare and gently pushed her out of the van door, her hands firm on her friend's back.

Joey waited inside the van before Sang Min's henchmen took Anela inside. She made her way to the front door as soon as the area was clear. She heard Chin's voice crackle through the com-piece in her ear and she gave the van a thumbs up.

"Okay, guys, Joey can hear us and Anela's inside. Let's get rolling." Joey rolled her eyes and kept her eyes trained on her surroundings. Luckily she was able to hear everything her team in the van heard so there were no surprises.

"Okay kid," Chin addressed Anela, "Just get him to say how he's smuggling these people off the island."

"My friend says you need my help." Joey cringed as Sang Min's voice came through the com. He had a harsh accent that she could not pinpoint and he spoke in such a way it made her want to sew her ears off. Danny must have thought the same thing because his sound of disgust filtered over to her.

"I have an aunt and uncle in Kagoshima. They would very much like to live here." Joey fist-pumped the air in victory. Anela had performed her lines perfectly and with a Japanese accent.

"I can have your family here within a week. Getting them out of Japan is easy, paying for it, that's the hard part." Joey's eyes widened, she hoped that Anela had the money at hand because as much as she enjoyed being in the field, she hoped she would not have to intervene.

"I have money."

"Do you mind if I ask what you do?" Steve swore under his breath, they had not covered that part of the story and Sang Min had gotten too close to her for his liking. Danny sent Steve a sympathetic look and watched as Anela fiddled with the hem of her dress.

He then heard Joey's voice over the com, "Relax boss, she's got this covered."

"I work at the cannery on Pacific and weekends as a house keeper at the Royal Hawaiian." Joey barked out a quiet laugh and relaxed against the door, her hand pressed against her gun.

"Two jobs? Very commendable. Only, I'm afraid the kind of money we're talking about might be out of your reach. Unless of course," nobody liked the way he said that, "we find some other form of payment." Steve nearly lunged at the monitor in front of him as watched Sang Min and the way he stroked Anela's face. Joey's hand tightened around her gun; if Sang Min had said that to her, she would have knocked him to the ground in an instant.

Sang Min's hand trailed away from her face and caught a strand of her hair between his fingers.

"Highlights. What kind of person who is working two jobs has time to go and get their hair done?"

"Alright, that's it, pull the plug. Let's get her out of there," Danny's voice sounded. It was risky to continue, but Joey was on standby so Steve did nothing but calm Danny down. "If he smells a trap he's going to kill her, alright?" Joey took her gun from her holster and waited for the order.

Sang Min proceeded to check Anela for a wire and everything went silent for a moment before Steve's voice rang across the com for Joey to go in. She wasted no time; she opened the door with one kick and shot two men the minute she got inside. That left a startled Sang Min and another henchman whom Joey knocked unconscious with the butt of her gun. Sang Min had pulled on gun on both Anela and Joey but before he could pull the trigger a loud horn sounded and the left wall caved in. The van came into view underneath the rubble and Sang Min had stumbled to the back wall.

"You good?" Steve asked Anela as he stepped out of the van, followed by Danny and Chin.

"You're early," Anela stated as she picked up one of the men's guns. Steve smiled at her and brought her to his side with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm fine by the way!" Joey yelled sarcastically as she made her way over to them. Chin laughed and gave her a side-ways hug. Whilst they were distracted, Sang Min slipped back to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a small machine gun. Everybody ducked and Steve watched as Sang Min fled.

"Is anybody hurt?" Chin called. A chorus of 'I'm good's followed. They made their way outside where Sang Min drove towards them in a poorly painted car. Steve proceeded to shoot at the car's bonnet and wheels until finally he aimed correctly and popped one of the tyres. Sang Min swerved into a metal container and crashed the car. Joey passed Steve and made her way over to the roughed up car and pulled Sang Min –none too gently- out of the car and threw him to the floor where she cuffed him and kept her gun trained on his back.

The container that Sang Min had driven into shook which Chin pointed out. Danny held his gun higher and followed Chin's move to investigate. Inside of the container was over thirty Japanese people who looked like they had not seen a shower or sunlight in days. Steve immediately dug his phone from his cargo-trousers and called the HPD. Once the HPD arrived, they rounded up the refugees and checked them over for injuries. The ones who weren't injured were sent onto a large bus which took them back to the airport. Yet, before they all got on the bus, Joey had placed a call to the HPD which regarded the little girl she had found earlier. Chachi had arrived in a squad car before half the bus was filled and she wore fresh clothes and her skin was cleaned of dirt and blood. Joey helped her out of the car carefully and handed her over to her parents her were nothing but smiles from then on.

"You did good, English," Danny complimented as they walked over to the room where Chin held Sang Min. Joey shoved him half-heartedly and walked ahead of him.

"You didn't do too bad either, Blondie." She walked through the doors and there sat Sang Min. Despite the cuffs around his wrists he continued to look like he was the king of the world.

"I'm going to sue you for entrapment, and when I'm done collecting, I'm going to find that little hottie you sent in here and-" Sang Min stopped and raked his eyes over Joey. "Never mind, this one'll do just fine." Joey growled and Chin took a calm step forward, picked up a sole ashtray and swung it across Sang Min's face. His entire head moved to the left and Chin felt pride wash over him. He turned around to see Joey's face full of surprise and gratitude and Danny's full of respect. He did not expect Steve to be stood behind them with his arms folded across his chest and a frown set across his face.

"Sorry, Boss," Chin muttered.

"I didn't see anything." It turned out that the frown was not for him but for the man cuffed to the chair.

"You didn't see anything? He hit me!" Sang Min screeched.

"You want to file a report you're going to need a witness. Did you see anything, Joey?" She shook her head with a smirk. "Did you see anything, Danny?" Danny shrugged his shoulders and uttered, "Nope." Chin's expression matched Joey's and she wished she had a camera because the look on Sang Min's face was priceless.

"I want to go to jail now," Sang Min informed them. Chin stood in front of the man and if Sang Min had any sense, he would have cowered away from his menacing stare.

"Where is he? Where's Hess?" Danny demanded. Sang Min remained silent.

"What about your wife and kid?" Steve asked as he produced two photos from the sideboard next to him. Anela had informed them of Sang Min's family along with his history before she went for her meeting and that information was perfect for a purpose such as the one Steve presented. Sang Min's expression changed drastically: his arrogant demeanour vanished only to be replaced with anger. "Do you know where they are? I do," Steve showed Sang Min the picture of his wife, "She's getting her nails done on Kawakawa Avenue and your boy," Steve showed him the other photo, "Is in his private school in Diamond Head. I wonder what he's going to think when he finds out that Daddy takes kids just like him and puts them on the street to be pumped full of black-tar heroin and sold to strangers like animals." Sang Min stared Steve down before he broke eye contact and rested his gaze on the floorboards.

Joey watched him carefully before she situated herself next to Steve and stooped down to her haunches so that she looked Sang Min in the eye when she said, "You're going to jail mate, that part is not up for negotiation; your family is about to lose a husband and a father. In my eyes, now they are your victims too and the trouble is: the law does not see it that way. Your wife, she's from Rwanda so she'll be sent back, they both will. If they're lucky, they'll make it to a refugee camp. And your son," Steve placed the picture in from of Sang Min, "Seven is old enough to hold a gun for the Hutu Militia." Sang Min swallowed and avoided Joey's eyes and the photo in front of him. "I can prevent all that," she notified him as stood back up, "But I don't help people who don't help me."

"What kind of cops are you?"

"The new kind," Steve replied. That opened up Sang Min's mouth quickly and all the information he had on Hess poured out.

* * *

"Sang Min put Hess in a crate on a cargo ship headed for China tomorrow," Steve spoke down his phone. Joey watched his determined face; the both of them had waited to capture Hess for five years and when Steve caught Anton, she thought it was over but then John McGarrett died and the case spiralled. She understood his determination and she was sure the same look had been plastered across her face as well. Danny's face looked apprehensive which was probably due to the two strong-minded, military trained, psychopaths he travelled with.

"No Steve, do not even think abou-" The Governor was cut off.

"Governor, you wanted a task force that would do whatever was necessary. You promised me immunity and means."

"No, no, _not _to provoke a diplomatic incident by boarding a Chinese frater headed for international waters." The Governor sounded stressed but Joey could not help the smirk on her lips; The Governor should have known by then that threats of diplomatic incidents were Steve's speciality.

Joey leaned between the front seats so her voice could be heard, "Governor, if China is caught smuggling a terrorist -trust me- they won't say a word." She heard Governor Jameson sigh and she felt sympathetic for the woman: she had a country to run and a Steve McGarrett to deal with.

"I did my job Governor: I found Hess. Now you do yours and tell the coast guard to block the port. That ship is not going anywhere." Steve hung up and passed Joey his phone, why? She did not know. However, that phone was not the one that she should have been attentive of because as soon as she pocketed Steve's phone, Danny's phone went off with the horror movie theme. Steve looked at him strangely but turned his attention back to driving soon after.

"Yeah?" Danny answered, "Rachel, Rachel don't start with me. I left you two messages telling you that you need to pick her up." His voice got progressively louder as he spoke and Joey forced her laughter into her vest. Steve's own laughter was barely audible but his shoulders shook so Danny knew he laughed. "Don't tell me you had to change your plans; you usually send a driver to pick her up anyway!" Joey's eyebrows rose, how rich was his ex-wife? "I can't do that right now I'm in the middle of something. Can you just do me one favour, tell Grace 'Danno loves her', alright?" He hung up after that.

Steve finally let his laughter be heard and Joey popped her head between the seats and stared at him with raised eyebrows. Danny looked between them for a second before he gave in, "Fine! Gracie was three and she tried to say my name but all that she could say was 'Danno', that's all that came out, 'Danno', okay?" Danny said flustered.

After a bout of silence Joey burst out, "That's it?" Which Danny agreed to. "That's cute," she remarked and pinched his cheek playfully. He swatted her hand away with a glare. She tried to do it again but he grabbed her colder hand in his and held it out in front of her. She tried to pull her hand away but his grip tightened on her fingers.

"Will you two stop it, please? We're on a case." Danny dropped her hand and settled back into his chair. His relaxed pose did not last long; Steve swerved sharply around a corner that sent Joey backwards and Danny pressed against the window. He stopped a second later in front of a ramp that led to a large cargo ship.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?" Danny asked. Steve did not reply verbally but he took out his gun, checked for bullets –Joey did the same- and shifted into fourth gear. He slammed on the accelerator and headed directly for the ramp. Danny braced himself against the door whereas Joey sat forward and gripped the headrests of the seats in front of her. Two men stood guard and proceeded to shoot at the windshield which –because it was a squad car they used- did not penetrate through.

"Cover me, I'm going to find Hess," Steve told them so Danny and Joey held their guns out in front of them and fired at the remaining men as they stepped out of the car. Once the men were either dead or unconscious, they walked over to their bodies, checked what guns had ammo and grabbed the ones that did. Steve went in the opposite direction and tussled with one of the guards until he came out on top. Then, he went around one of the containers and got jumped on. The jumper: Victor Hess. They fought for two minutes before Hess pushed Steve to the floor and ran away.

Danny and Joey did not have better luck. The instant either of them stepped out into the open they were shot at. There was a long-rang shooter on top of one of the containers and Joey waited for him to stop shooting before her bullet lodged into his head. Where that shooter once stood, Steve chased Hess and all Danny and Joey could do was watch.

"I should be up there with him," Joey muttered as she re-loaded her gun. Danny watched her, how fast her hands moved and how she bit her tongue as she worked and he could not stop the rush of admiration he had for her at that moment. He told himself over and over again that he did not like her, that he simply admired her skill and her gumption.

Joey looked up from her gun and saw Hess picked up his own. A fraction of a second later and Steve went down with a bullet in his shoulder and his gun flung to the side. Joey made her way forward but another round of bullets flew past her head. She ducked and Danny shot at the man repeatedly. Unfortunately he missed and both he and Joey had to move back behind the container. They locked eyes and -as if they verbally spoke- Danny army rolled to the ground and shot the man in the knee before he shot Joey whilst she covered him by firing a shot at another high-shooter.

They both watched as Steve slowly rose from the floor and faced Hess whom swung at Steve's face. Due to Steve's fast reflexes, the punch missed and he managed to send a jab into Hess' gut. There were numerous punches thrown and Steve had the upper hand for most of it. In spite of his upper hand, Hess made a well-placed kick to Steve's side and sent him over the edge of the container and onto an abandoned car. Joey made a move to go to him but Danny held her next to him with his arm around her waist. Steve needed back up there was no doubt but he knew that all Joey would have done was get herself shot and he did not want that on his conscience.

All her movement and struggles stopped when Steve's voice carried over to them, "There's something you should know about your brother."

"What about him?" Hess loaded his gun with more bullets.

"He died the same way you did." Steve reached for his fallen gun next to him and fired not one, but two shots into Hess' chest. A resounded splash was heard by all three officers and Steve stood from his fallen position. Danny unwrapped his arm from Joey and jogged over to the man he shot in the knee, placed a foot either side of him and hooked a zip-tie around his wrists. "Hey!" Steve called down to them, "Get the coast guard to find that body."

"What do you want me to do with this one?" Danny asked. He watched as Steve smirked around the blood on his face.

"Book 'em Danno." Joey threw her head back in laughter and Steve chuckled along with her. Danny watched them for a second or two before the man beneath him wiggled against his restraints.

"Where are you trying to go? Where? Go ahead," his voice filled with sarcasm and he let go of the prisoner and stood next to Joey. "Do you want me to shoot you?" He muttered to the man. Joey slung an arm over his shoulder and laughed which Danny matched with a smile. They both had to admit: they made a superb team.

"Danny?"

"Yeah?" He turned his head to face her and watched as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She kept her arm around his shoulders but dug through the back pocket of her jeans. She produced a bright orange card and handed it to him. "What's this?"

"It's uh, three nights at The Koala Hotel. Steve told me about where you're staying and I know you're probably going to say no-"

"Yeah, you're right I'm going to say no." Joey's eyes narrowed fractionally but she refused to take the orange card from his hands.

"Gracie's coming over this weekend, right?" Danny licked his lip and nodded. He was surprised she remembered.

"I heard this place has a pool, you can swim with the dolphins, just take it." She removed her arm from around him and started to walk back to the car.

"Hey!" She stopped in her tracks and pivoted to face him. "Just remember I saved your ass today, but uh, thanks." She smirked at him, sent him a wink and continued to walk to the car. His footsteps soon followed and he found himself leant on the car bonnet next to her whilst they waited for Steve.

* * *

"So honestly, what do you think?" Steve and Danny strolled into the bustling bar and manoeuvred their way through groups of drunken teenagers and loud mouthed tourists to get to the bar. There were two spare stools which they grabbed immediately and the warm leather allowed them to slide onto them with ease.

"What do I think about what, Steve?" Danny hollered the bartender over to them.

"Joey and Anela." Steve said before he ordered a beer, Danny did the same and turned his entire body to face the Navy Seal.

What _did _he think of Joey and Anela? There was no doubt that they were great assets to the team; Joey's skill amazed him and Anela –from what he saw- could do undercover well. Anela seemed slightly timid but a nice, calm person whereas Joey was her polar opposite: loudmouthed and hot-headed who enjoyed arguing, namely with him. Also, they were both attractive which was a bonus. Anela had the cute-as-a-button look perfected with her light, blonde hair and Disney green eyes and petite body which made any man want her. Just like their personalities, Joey was the opposite with the touch-me-and-you-die being her style with her dark, chocolate hair, storm blue eyes and toned body which scared some men away but entranced and seduced the rest, like himself, but he planned never to admit that to anyone.

Instead of voicing his opinions out-loud he said, "They're alright, we should keep them around." Steve gave him a knowing smile and gulped half of his beer in one go.

"Slow down mate, the beer isn't going anywhere!" Joey's voice carried over the loud chatter.

They twisted their heads to face her and Danny's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets but Steve took no notice due to his own eyes which automatically filled with adoration, on Anela. Joey's outfit consisted of tight, leather trousers, matched low block heels, a purple and black tube top and a black blazer. Her hair fell over her shoulder in a braid and the rest of it was covered in by a black fedora. She smirked at him and squeezed between them; that allowed Danny a good view of her backside which he none-too-subtly took advantage of. Steve sent him a death glare, she was the equivalent to Steve's sister, he might have been focussed on Anela but he knew when someone checked out his 'family'. Danny paid no attention because Joey's thighs brushed against his jean covered ones and her musky perfume overrode his senses. She was a pain in the ass but she was a _sexy _pain in the ass.

Anela's outfit was unsurprisingly different to Joeys: she wore a black and pearl coloured dress with shiny pearl heels and a black fur coat. She looked like a movie-star on the red carpet and she had straightened her hair and worn matching jewellery to her shoes. Anela stood close to Steve who did not take his eyes away from her. She acted as though she didn't notice but Danny was certain that even a sloth would have noticed Steve's gaze.

"Are you guys going to join us?" They sent Anela a confused look and followed her extended finger to where Chin sat with a beer sandwiched between his hands. Joey turned away from the bar with a Negroni in one hand and a Bellini in the other. She handed the Bellini to Anela, linked her free arm with hers and walked back to their table. Steve and Danny followed with their beers and chose their seats. Steve –to nobody's surprise- chose the seat next to Anela and Danny sat on the outside of the table –to everybody but Steve's surprise- next to Joey.

"Okay, now that we are all here. I have an important matter to discuss: we need a name," Anela said that sentence with a large amount of seriousness that it took Steve a minute to process what she said.

"A name? What're you talking about?" Danny questioned her and she smiled at him across the table.

"You know, something to call ourselves."

Chin chuckled next to her, "Why do we need a name?"

"Because," Joey gestured grandly to the outside world, "we're going to be working together and it'll be cool." Anela nodded and took a sip of her drink at the same time Joey did.

"I've got it," Chin announced, "A'ohe hana nui." Joey was the first to burst into laughter but sooner rather than later the entire table was in fits of laughter. Chin looked at them like a child who had been denied a biscuit before dinner and that only made them laugh harder. "It means, 'not task is too big when done together." Steve and Anela's laughter died down but Danny and Joey's continued. "This is the problem with you Hoales: no team spirit, no island spirit."

"No, no honestly, I think it should be something awesome, like Strike-Force," Joey said through bouts of laughter.

"Strike-Force?" Steve asked in disbelief. She nodded and smiled around the rim of her drink.

"I hate that so much," Danny admitted which made her slap his arm playfully.

"You come up with one then."

"We don't need a name." Joey 'pfft' him and changed the subject, they were not going to come up with a name that night.

Steve watched his friends with a smile, he never knew what he needed in his life until he met them; Joey was the constant he knew but with Chin, Danny and Anela, they made both their lives different. All four of them made him forget about the hardship he had gone through for five years and he could tell it did the same to Joey, the weight of the Hess brothers had been lifted from their shoulders and that allowed him to look forward to the future: his career and his life in general. That is why, as Anela snuggled up to his side –whether it was subconscious or not- and he wrapped his arm around her waist, as Danny and Joey argued over who had to pay for the next round of drinks with miniscule smiles on their faces and Chin laughed at their antics, Steve knew that taking the Governor's offer was the greatest idea he had ever acted on.

43


End file.
